Fade
by Tokyo Express
Summary: The First Flame is fading, while an empire is desperately trying to stay in power. Everything begins to fade.
1. Chapter 1

**_FADE_**

It was a cold night in Anor Londo. On top of the looming citadel in which the city was ruled from, two figures stood on a balcony with a complete view of the entire city. Both stood in utter silence while the enjoying the view below. The sight was glorious.

Down below them the city lights illuminated the the building around them, giving off a golden hue. In the surrounding darkness of the night Anor Londo stood out. To any surrounding spectator outside it's walls, the city of the god's stood as a golden beacon of hope. It was the driving force for any outsider to attempt to match the absolute glory of the city.

It was no surprise why the two beings on top of the ivory citadel took great pride in being inhabitants of the city. The smaller figure in ornate golden lions armor suddenly spoke.

" Is it truly wise to send him milord?"

The taller figure looked at the smaller one, his black robes were blowing in the night breeze. He tilted his head in curiosity, his regal crown almost falling off.

" What do you mean by that? He's our only option left".

" I realize that milord, but I've heard disturbing rumors on the origin of the outbreak."

"Rumors, I never figured you to be the person to listen to petty gossip. Either way do explain your fears"

"According to some of the refugees, the outbreak was caused by the town's leaders. Milord I fear Ooliacile was trying to gain power from the Abyss, a coup perhaps."

"How unfortunate, according to the reports the leaders were killed."

"That is true milord, however I feel there is a possibility that some of the traitors survived. Wouldn't it just better to let the town fall?"

"You and I both know Artorias would not abandon anyone to be destroyed by the Abyss."

There was a pause. Suddenly a loud groaning sound could be heard. The front gates were being opened. The taller figure walked to the edge of the balcony and looked down. His focus was on the giant doors serving as the gateway to the city. O

The smaller figure followed his gaze and saw what his lord was gazing at so intently. The sight below them was disheartening. The terrible price of war.

In the golden streets below, Silver Knights were stumbling over each other as they passed through the main gates. Onlookers watched in horror as bloody and charred corpses were being carried on carts. The Giant Sentinels formed a protective barrier against crowds the crowds of onlookers. Their huge shields blocking anyone from passing. They remain absolutely stoic in the face of a curious crowd.

The once proud army of Silver Knights was reduced to a pitiful groups of tired and broken soldiers.

The figures above in the fortress knew these knights were the remnants of the legion sent to assist Izalith in combating the demons spawned from the Witch of Izalith.

Behind the the fighting force sent to Izalith, another crowd of people came stumbling behind them. The came in the thousands, refugees from the town of Ooliacile. The gate was large enough to fit fifty giants standing side by side to pass comfortably. The refugees barely fit though the giant opening.

Each and every one of them was exhausted. All of them faced unimaginable terrors from the Abyss outbreak. Many had lost friends and family. Children were among the refugees. Many of them were walking alone.

Many had tears down their faces. According to accounts by the refugees, the Abyss had created a hole in the town. A hole of utter blackness they described it. From the hole, the Abyss corrupted many of the citizens nearby and in turn they corrupted anyone who they came across. In one day the town's defense force had been overwhelmed.

Suddenly there was a commotion from the street. An elderly sorcerer woman in the crowd of refugees from Ooliacile fell to her knees and began shrieking, her hands clutching over ears. Her shrill voice could be heard over the massive crowd. Every being in the street stopped and stared in absolute silence.

"MAKE IT STOP! THE VOICES PLEASE MAKE THEM GO AWAY!" She screamed, her eyes brimming with tears. She clutched her catalyst, pulling it close to her chest. She seemed to be in agonizing pain.

Then it happened. Underneath her skin, something began to move. It began to squirm creating ripples across her face. Her head began to enlarge, turning brown in the process. Tentacle like protrusions were slightly visible behind her head. She was corrupted by the Abyss. All around her body, black veins were visible around her tinted grey skin. Her brown robes tore as her whole body grew.

Two Silver Knights began approaching her, one had his sword drawn and the other raised his spear while using his shield for protection. They were both in Ooliacile evacuating it's citizens during the Abyss outbreak. They had both seen the effects of a corrupted person. They knew what was about to happen and what they would have to do.

The corrupted sorceress saw them approach and with a sweep of her catalyst she sent a wave of dark magic at the two knights. The knight with the sword caught the brunt force of the abyssal magic, it corroded his head and shoulders away.

The knight rushed past his fallen comrade, his spear raised and ready to impale the corrupted woman. He closed the distance. His spear racing toward the woman.

His spear caught her on the chest. Dark red blood splattered over his armor. Suddenly her arm was in motion, dark ooze came of her melting the Silver Knight's armor creating deep gouges. The knight stumbled back in surprise. While the knight was down, the corrupted sorceress jumped on him. With a howl she unleashed pure Abyssal energy on him, corrupted his soul.

The Silver Knight slowly got up. Darkness began to emanate off the knight, he let out a roar and charged  
the surrounding refugees. He was corrupted. The corrupted knight grappled a man and as the man tried to break free, he unleashed more Abyssal energy into the man. Now the man was corrupted.

It was a chain reaction, like a giant wave of bodies being corrupted by the strain of the Abyss magic. They were being turned into feral monsters.

The Giant Sentinels surrounded the street, creating a wall with their shields to protect the citizens behind them. The sentinels weapons obliterating any that came too close. Silver Knights rushed into the fray slaying all corrupted by the Abyss. It was a massacre.  
/

On the great wall surrounding Anor Londo and above the chaos, a dark figure in silver armor sat observing the ensuing chaos. His sword sat rested over his shoulder, while his shield was on the ground next to him. He was watching the troops return from their deployments with the Great wolf Sif. He was not amused with the state the Silver Knights and refugees came back in.

The First Flame was fading and he knew it. If it ever faded only dark would remain. Life would wither and die, the world would return to nothing. He would not allow that.

Desperate not to let that happen, The Witch of Izalith came up with a solution, she would attempt to duplicate the flame. Her plan failed and now Anor Londo was forced to send more legions to Izalith to combat the monstrosities formed from the failure. Anor Londo was forced to fight on many fronts, both yielding high casualties. The newest outbreak of the Abyss was the newest problem. Following the war with the dragons, Anor Londo had hundreds of legions all willing to wage war on behalf of their lord.

Following the first outbreak of the Abyss in New Londo by the Four Kings, half of the legions betrayed and aligned themselves with the Darkwraiths. Most of the traitors flocked to New Londo, the established capital of the dark.

Artorias himself travelled there, leading a force of thousands in hopes of retaking the city. It ended in failure though, the Four Kings were too powerful. The city was flooded to keeps the Abyss contained. Artorias gave the order for it, a decision he regretted but knew had it to be done. In a matter of minutes an entire city was exterminated. Many who survived the initial waves swam up to the surface, only to be pushed back down. He remembered issuing the orders to not let a single soul come out of the water. It was necessary to keep any contamination from leaving.

Beneath his azure hood, one would be able to barely make out his face. His expression was one of disgust and contempt. He hated those memories. He could remember the scorn and hate he saw on the survivors faces as they were pushed back. Artorias remembered the children the most. He remembered each and everyone of their face as they sunk into the black water. Lifeless eyes stared back at him.

His own men didn't hate him, they did however avoid him. They all knew it was necessary to contain the threat. They avoided him because of how easily he gave the order. He lived his life in solitude now, many had called him the "Butcher of New Londo". Even though he came to save the city, people remembered him most for slaughtering it. Many criticized him for his methods. Methods needed to halt the Abyss's advance. They needed someone to blame for such a tragedy.

He didn't dwell on the past for too long, he need to be focus for the situation at hand.

Knight Artorias could not believe it. The Abyss managed to make it to the front gates of Anor Londo. Of all of Lord Gywn's knights, Artorias was one of the few who could safely combat and travel the Abyss. Hence the nickname "Abysswalker". He swore to protect his people from the threat and seeing that very threat running rampant at the gates of his city made him go into a fit of rage.

"Artorias, are you well?" A voice said from behind him.

Turning his head to the sound of the voice, Artorias saw it was his friend Alvina. Alvina was an old friend if his, one of his few friends. She was a talking grey cat, a fat talking grey cat.

"Am I well? The Abyss runs rampant in the very doorstep of Anor Londo. I cannot and will not tolerate this." He replied evenly.

"Well then, why do you waste your time here. You should be combating it with your troops you fool." She said mockingly at him.

There was a brief silence. Without a word in reply, Artorias stepped to the edge of the wall with Sif at his side. Both of them had their sword at ready. Without a word of they jumped. Both of them aiming to the highest concentrations of corrupted.  
/

On top of the fortress above looming above Anor Londo, Lord Gywn and Dragonslayer Ornstein watched the madness unfold in the street below.

"Milord, allow me to take command of our forces at the gate. I will assist on stopping this." The Dragonslayer said while grabbing his spear.

"That won't be necessary Ornstein" The Lord of Sunlight replied.

"Sir! Our forces need assistance in controlling this."

"Which they shall have. I understand your concerns Ornstein, but just watch. The situation is under control."

"UNDER CONTROL!? OUR SOLDIERS ARE BARELY KEEPING THOSE THINGS BACK!

"Watch you tongue boy, you say they need assistance? They shall get assistance now watch."

".. Yes milord" Ornstein replied dejectedly.

From the balcony both of them watched two figures falling off the wall above the outbreak. The two figures were soaring to the ground at high speeds.

It was Artorias and Sif, both of them landed creating a small crater in the ground sending dust and debris in all directions. Without a moments pause both set about their work of slaying the corrupted. Both of their sword seemed to glow a faint blue as they tore through the hordes of corrupted beings. They seemed to be dancing, a glorious dance of death. It was a marvelous sight to behold in the Golden City.

Every corrupted being turned their attention upon the duo, their glowing red eyes watching Artorias and Sif. They could sense the power difference between them and the Silver Knights. Suddenly they swarmed the duo. Hundreds of bodies swarmed Artorias and Sif in a giant wave.

It was to no avail though, their attempts to swarm the two failed as matching swords cleaved through the bodies.

The Silver Knights finally snapped back into focus. The gate commander gave orders for to his troops to assist Artorias. In a matter of minutes the Abyss corrupted people were all slain.  
/

On top of the citadel, Lord Gywn stood proudly as he watched one of his top knights finished off the last of the filth.

"See Ornstein? The situation was under control." Lord Gywn said to the Dragonslayer.

"Indeed, however is it truly wise to celebrate in times like these?"

" No, it is not. We do have a war to fight" he replied grimly.

Suddenly he turned away from the balcony, heading toward the halls inside.

"I'm summoning a war council, we have to make new plans for this war." He announced.

"Yes milord" Ornstein replied.

" In the meantime you are to take direct control of all forces defending the city. I want everyone who enters this city searched for any sign of corruption. This city is to go into full alert."

" It will be done. What am I to do after?"

" You are to join us in the throne room with Artorias with you, now go"

Without a word, Ornstein hurried off to the front gates.

/-

End if first chapter. Please tell me what you think.

-Tokyo Express


	2. Chapter 2

**Some OC minor characters. Just want to give this story a little more life.**  
**Giving a Roman feel to these ones. I'm not the best at making names.**

* * *

Commander Caius Latro of the stood outside observing his troops in one of the many courtyards inside the Ivory Citadel in Anor Londo. Each and every one of them stood at attention, their spears stood upright while their swords were sheathed at their silver armor gleaming with each strike of lightning sailing across the heavens. His archers stood in the rear with their great bows by their sides. A quick observation of their faces revealed nothing, it was covered by their T shaped helmets. This was his legion. His legion of Silver Knights.

Commander Latro observed the night sky. Heavy storm clouds gathered over Anor Londo, showering the city in heavy rainfall and lightning. It was a rare sight because it rarely ever rained like this, or rained at all for that matter. Even with the rain the city was easily visible from all directions. After observing the sky, he turned his gaze back toward his knights. Just by the way they fidgeted and turned their heads slightly to observe their environment told him they didn't appreciate being assembled like this. Especially in the middle of a freezing rainy night. They hated it.

After a few moments of silence he spoke in a loud clear voice. All attention focused on him.

"Gentlemen, as of now Lord Gywn wants this city under full alert and and all legions are to be mobilized and ready within the next few hours."

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. He could hear a murmur sweeping across his troops. They were curious.  
"About one hour ago, refugees from Ooliacile entered our city."

He took a bigger breath, what he would tell them next would put them into high alert.

"Among the refugees a came woman corrupted by the dark and from there she unleashed the taint at the front gates of our glorious city. The corruption has been casualties so far is over one thousand and still counting"

He could hear murmurs of disbelief, followed by a quiet surge of angry voices. An attack on the capital meant war and they knew it.

"I received word just moments ago that our legion will be deployed in the next few day. I'm not sure where. As of now we are to guard the west gate to the citadel."

With a wave of his hand he ordered his men to fall in formation behind him. Marching in the rain to the west gate.

* * *

The Lord of Sunlight sat on his throne, both of his hand folded as he looked at everyone entering the room. His sword leaning by his side and his cold grey eyes observing everyone as they sat the table in front of him.  
He gave off the appearance of an tired old man. Everyone in the room however knew that he would be able to vaporize most of them with ease. The aura he gave was overbearing.

The throne room was huge, his throne was raised above the ground so he would be able to easily observe the room. While the room itself was rectangular and with two giant doors as entrances. It was easily large enough to fit hundreds of occupants.

The room itself was guarded by at least one of his four great knights along with a legion of Silver Knights. Just outside the throne rooms entrance stood a hundred Giant Sentinels. It would be almost impossible for anyone other than the other Great Lords to get through. Even his own four great knights would not be able to make it past the guards.

He did a quick observation of the occupants. He saw the scaleless albino Seath in the far corner, his son Gwyndolin and daughter Gywnevere bickering next to each other. Among the occupants he saw many of his fellow gods. He took notice all but one of his four trusted great knights were missing.

While Artorias and Ornstein were organizing the mess at the main gate and Hawkeye Gough was on his way. His best assassin, Lords Blade Ciaran was assisting him organize. She was the knight in charge of the throne rooms defense this day.

She stood in the shadows by his throne, her porcelain mask made her expression unreadable. After all the guests arrive she finally spoke to him. Her cold, crisp voice cutting through the air around him.

"Milord, almost all you summoned are accounted for. Currently we are missing Nito, Artorias, Gough, Ornstein, and Bishop Havel." She reported.

The Lord of Sunlight pondered those missing. Nito he knew would take awhile to arrived, if he even bothered to come. His other three knights would arrive shortly. Havel opted to lead his personal troops to Ooliciale. Havel was known for his immense hatred for magic and dragons. After Gywn offered Seath the Scaleless a position within his kingdom, his relations with Havel sunk ever since.

Havel would barely even make contact Gywn, only ever talking to him if he was being ordered to deploy someplace. Having Havel be at a place where a possible coup may have been attempted did not sit well with him. He would not dwell on that for too long, he still had to attend to his guest waiting patiently for him.  
He finally stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He spoke

" I must thank all of you for coming. As you know we had an outbreak of the the Abyss on this cities very steps."

He observed their expressions. They ranged from contempt, disgust, hate, and even shame.

"Never before had an event like this take place. After hundreds of years, we never faced a crisis as horrifying as this. Never before had our power been challenged." The Lord of Sunlight project his voice throughout the room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his other three great knights enter the room, all of them taking a place around the room to listen.

"We are quite possibly nearing the end of an era, the First Flame is fading, it's power is waning. We only have so much time for a solution and with the growing threats and problems around, we must act quickly. Therefore as of now I am authorizing all legions to be mobilized for war to combat our enemies."

In the crowd he heard a murmurs of agreement. Everyone knew the gravity of the situation. Everyone was in agreement. This was war.

"Such a **noble** plan, but will it truly mean avail any of you anything?" A raspy voice suddenly said out of nowhere. When the voice spoke it sounded liked hundreds speaking in perfect synchronization. The rooms occupant looked for the source, but found nothing.

Suddenly the giant doors leading inside the throne room slammed open as a dark figure emerged. What stood before them could be described as mountain of skeletons attached to each other and moving as one being. It was Nito, The Lord of Death. The first of the dead. The mountain of corpses began approaching Lord Gwyn. Some of the skeletons fell out, only to get up and trail behind the death lord.

The room became visibly darker as the light sorcery lanterns became dimmer as he passed. The occupants suppressed shivers as the corpses on Nito's body stared at them, the skulls seemed to being grinning mockingly. The Lord of Death was soon only meters away from The Lord of Sunlight. The four knights of Gywn stood before their lord, their hands resting on their weapons. The sized difference between the five beings before Nito was tremendous. Nito easily loomed over them, casting a dark shadow on them. Hundreds of skulls stared at them. Empty eye sockets gave no hint of emotion.

The Lord of Sunlight was one of the few in the room not unnerved. Nito represented death, while Gwyn represented life. Complete opposites. The Great Lord looked at his surrounding knights, all eager to protect their lord.  
"Ornstein, Ciaran, Gough, and Artorias, all of you stand down and step aside."

They hesitated, before slowly stepping aside. Having the one who represented death stand so close to your lord did not make them comfortable. But nevertheless they complied.  
Turning back to Nito, he addressed his fellow Lord.

" Lord Nito, it is a pleasure for you to be here. I welcome you into this city." The Lord of Sunlight greeted the mountain of corpses. He kept a friendly smile on his face, but beneath he felt nothing but repulsion for the Death Lord. Life and death were opposites sides of the spectrum. Neither worked well with each other.

Hundreds of voices answered him, " Enough with the false pleasantries oh Lord of Sunlight, I answered your call to this foolish meeting now let us get on with it."

The Lord of Sunlight frowned. It was never pleasant dealing with The Lord of Death.

" Nito you are aware of the condition of the First Flame, the demons in Izalith, and outbreak of the Abyss in Ooliacile. Anor Londo will meet all these threats head on. We are heading to war and I ask of your assistance in our crisis."

"**YOUR** crisis Lord Gwyn. Not mine. Izalith does not concern me, neither does Ooliacile. The people of those cities die only to join my ever growing legions in death. This war of yours does not concern me." Nito declared, all his voices harsh.

"The First Flame is fading. The source of our power is fading, surely you can not ignore that!" The Lord of Sunlight declared.

"Have you gone senile in your old age Gywn? I am The Lord of Death. The death of this world means little to me. I am everlasting, you are not. Even you too will join my ranks."

Lord Gywn bristled at the comment. A grim reminder to him. He was at a loss for words.

Around the room the other god's watched the two Great Lords argue. To have death on your side would surely mean victory for them. It was a utter disappointment when death declined.

"You seem to forget also oh Lord of Death, the Abyss is all consuming. It's utter blackness would consume you also. The darkness cannot die." A female voice rang out thought the meeting of the god's. The voice had a mocking tone to it.

Everyone turned to the sound of the voice. It was a woman in the far corner of the room. She was dressed all black robes, her skin was a ghostly white. The dimly lit lamps made her seem like a ghost. Her head was covered by a hood, it cast a shadow over her face. A black crow was perched on her shoulder. On the outside, she appeared as a young beautiful woman. The other god's new better than that. She was quite possibly the oldest being in the room. Possibly more ancient than woman walking down the toward the two great lords was Velka, the Goddess of Sin.

* * *

In the town of Ooliacile, a man in armor made out of heavy solid rock sat observing his troops unloading carts full of weapons. The men and woman in front of him worked hard and fast, even as heavy rain pelted them from the night sky. The lack of light did not help them either. Getting those weapons unloaded was a priority for him.

Havel the Rock watched from a nearby building serving as their temporary command post. During the Abyss outbreak, Havel led his small army into the city, slaying as many corrupted beings that came across them. They found a small plaza inside the town. They used it for there base for the last weeks. Many citizens that escaped the slaughter from the corrupted flocked to Havel's Army for protection. The forces of Anor Londo left them when they evacuated everyone else.

Many had felt hate for the gods now. Havel had gained loyal followers. They were loyal to him for not abandoning them.

This was perfect. Ooliacile would serve as his staging ground. The god's he believed were corrupt. Too immersed in their own power to notice those beneath them. The Abyss outbreak only helped his plans. With the leaders of the town dead, Havel was the sole leader of the group. The towns leaders foolish attempts to control that THING far beneath the town only got them killed. THAT thing couldn't be controlled. It could be guided though, guided to Anor Londo. In the chaos caused by it, he could attack and take his revenge. Revenge specifically in Lord Gwyn.

The thought drove him mad. He served proudly to his lord, and yet The Lord of Sunlight saw it fit to give that traitorous dragon a place in his kingdom. Havel could not stand the thought of it. Those things were animals, slaughtering everything and everyone in their path. Havel put them down like the animal they were.

A voice shook him out of his thoughts.

" Lord Havel, the weapons are stored. The troops are returning to their regular duty."

It was a Captain Aelia Lepida, an officer under his command. She wore heavy plate mail armor. Her brown hair was cut short and her left eye was covered with an eyepatch. She challenged a Silver Knight to a dual and lost. She held a grudge on them ever since.

"Good, we will begin training the refugees with them tomorrow. You are dismissed" he replied.

She bowed then left the room. The weapons would prove to be valuable. Swords, maces, axes, clubs, and all sorts of weapons infused with the power of the Occult. The power to kill a god. He let a silent thanks to the Goddess of Sin. Her weaponry would prove to be valuable. He would meet her tomorrow to discuss their plans. Her plans.

**End of chapter**  
**Please review and tell me what you think.**  
**-Tokyo Express**


	3. Chapter 3

FADE.3

Thank you every one for the support.  
If you like, please review, it's the only way I know people actually read this or like it.

Bad news... My file for A Thorn in Your Side ch 7 was deleted...

I have to rewrite it out again. In the meantime, I will work on Fade.

* * *

New Londo was doomed from the start, their destruction was confirmed the very second those four traitorous kings made it their unholy capital.

For twenty years we waged war against the Darkwraiths. For twenty years cities and towns burnt, armies lay rotting, and loved ones dead. Then finally we beat back the traitorous legions back. After twenty years we forced them back into New Londo.

Before the war New Londo was full of life and unique culture. When the traitors took over the city's inhabitants became oppressed under the Darkwraiths rule. When we came they were chanting our names treating us like heroes. They were under the impression that we would free them from their suffering... we only ended it. We entered the city as liberators, but left as murderers. It was all for the greater good. Right?

Great Knight Artorias lead the assault on the city. He was the head of the operation. Under his command we had the city cleared in a month. Victory was what we were thinking. We forgot one thing though... The Four Kings...

In their opening attacks they annihilated half of my own legion. Nine thousand of my knight brethren were annihilated as they unleashed their dark powers on us. If it wasn't for Artorias, well I could safely say I wouldn't be writing this.

Artorias engaged all four of them by himself, fighting them all to a stalemate. For hour the rest of us watched and some tried to help. Those that tried were vaporized by the king's unholy power. Their battle was destructive, several building were destroyed during the battle. After hours of fighting, Artorias managed to trap all four of them within the Abyss. How he even came out of the Abyss uncorrupted is unknown to any of us. He has my respect though, no one else has done that before. I remember him pulling out a talisman and whispering an incantation. Suddenly their was a faint golden light surrounding the entrance to the Abyss. I figure it must have been some sort of barrier. I never asked though.

Whatever it was, it saved us from the kings, but not the civilians from our next actions... I will always remember those next moments..

-Captain Cadus Avulus  
Journal entry

* * *

In the throne room of Anor Londo, the gods all focused their attention on The Lord of Death and the Goddess of Sin. It was a spectacle to have both of present, they rarely graced anyone with their presence.

The Lord of Death faced Velka, his many skulls turning to focus on her. She had his full attention. Something that most would not ever want. However the Goddess of Sin stared back at him, a faint trace of a smile on her pale and sharp face.

"The Crow Witch graces us with her presence, rambling with the usual nonsense she spouts so wildly." Nito's thousand voices rumbled in a mocking tone, the sound of it being carried and echoed throughout the entirety of the room. Many present recoiled at the sound of it.

"The Gravelord is still as arrogant as usual. Your reign over death has provided you a false sense of security. Yet you seem to forget something." The Goddess of Sin replied. Her voice was harsh and cold, like that of a scolding mother.

"What would that be I'm forgetting witch?" The Lord of Death asked in a million voice, each one changing into various tempos.

"You forget that the unholy powers of the Abyss cannot die. It will spread. Have you noticed that those corrupted do not belong to you? They escape your grasp only to find themselves trapped by the dark. Soon death will belong to the darkness too. Do you not feel it yet?" She asked softly.

Silence. The mountain of corpses sat there unmoving, not a skull or bone on his figure moved. The corpses that fell out also stood unmoving. Upon carful inspection, one could notice a faint black aura being released from the Gravelord.

The Lord of Death was silent. In truth he was searching within his mind for any sort of difference. To The Lord of Death, the throne room faded and darkened only to be replaced with a dark and completely black endless ethereal plain with millions of souls of the deceased to be wandering around. The souls had a vague human shape, each wandered aimlessly with no sort of group cohesion.

Upon nearing ones souls, Nito could hear and see moments if the individual lives. Some though would cry out in fear, other screamed in rage, while others just cry as his deathly form passed. Those ones were aware of their present position of being dead, they developed a self awareness of their fate of being trapped within Nito's form. Their souls forms meant nothing to The Lord of Death though. He cared little for them, he was here only to see if the witch's claims held any merit.

Pushing even farther, Nito could see the victims from Ooliacile. The normally white souls had a black aura surrounding it. To his alarm, The Lord of Death released he could not feel the tainted souls, they were barely visible to him. The darkness served as an antithesis to Nito's influence.

'_ Impossible! Nothing should be able to resist me. Nothing can resist death! _Nitothought viscously.

Nito looked at the souls again, he could barely access them. Memories and voices came out distorted, barely comprehensible. The darkness shrouding them.

'_Yet this taint resists my grasp. Is this the power of dark? To defy the power of the gods?_' The Lord of Death thought bitterly.

_'NO the power of the gods are absolute. Nothing can resist us. Nothing can resist me!' _Nito's mind screamed in rage.

Rarely had he ever felt rage. He was death, he couldn't feel it, yet the taint made him feel utter black rage.

Suddenly in a fit a rage and frustrationThe Lord of Death seized the nearest tainted souls. With rage fueling him he pushed his influence against them, white ghostly tendrils grabbing them, forcing them to be a part of him. Thousands of them were pulled toward him in the ethereal plain of his domain.

With all his might he began trying to tear off the dark aura on them. The aura was protecting them from his influence.

Suddenly all the souls began screaming in a high pitched tone, the aura around them became thicker and all traces of the white souls were covered in black. With fierce resistance, they escaped and pushed him back. Soon they began to merge into one giant dark cloud.

The screaming stopped and silence took over the ethereal plain. From the spots the souls were, Nito could feel another immense presence enter his domain.

He was not alone.

The presence was unfeeling and not self aware, yet it was methodical. The Abyss entered his domain. In a small amount, yet it was there.

The Lord of Death stopped to observe the dark cloud growing in his domain. It was formless and completely black. It blocked his every every attempt to seize the souls which were rightfully his. Soon The Lord of Death pushed so far in, he was trapped within the darkness. His vision and senses nulled. Nito was trapped. He pushed farther and farther in to find no exit. It seemed like he was moving in an endless maze.

Without warning he felt himself being pulled out of his mindscape. The darkness slowly moving him. On his way out he felt more of the corrupted souls from Ooliciale. Each and everyone of them was screaming in high pitched voices.

Suddenly Nito was torn from his ethereal plain. He was forced out of the place where he could preside over the dead on the spiritual plane of existence. He was back in the throne room. All eyes were on him.

'_The darkness is capable of that...?' _Nito thought to himself.

Turning to Lord Gywn and Velka, Nito spoke

"The witch is correct it seems... I will be moving my armies to Ooliciale to destroy the anomaly." He announced, thousands of voices emanating from him rang throughout the golden room.

With that he turned and left without another word. The beings he passed could feel the irritation radiating off the Gravelord. Pulses of black aura could be seen off The Lord of Death as he passed.

* * *

The Lord of Sunlight watched Nito leave out the room. Something caused the him to change his mind, yet Gywn did not know what. He was interrupted from his thoughts as Velka spoke again.

"This is the end of an era. In your power bred arrogance, you failed to notice the surrounding dangers. For millennia you remained unrivaled. That changes in the coming years. The Age of Fire is ending. In the end, all being must pay the price. I bid you farewell my fellow gods." She announced gravely.

Her voice was projected throughout the room, possible amplified by some unseen spell, as her voice was far to low to be heard by normal means.

With that she walked to the window where a nearby crow was waiting for her, and departed. Her form could be seen flying throughout the night sky.

The Lord of Sunlight sighed. Turning to the other gods he spoke in a tired voice.

"All of you go and rest. I will summon some of you later for force deployments. It has been a long night and I am tired. Now go. He announce in a hoarse voice.

His tone left no room for argument and everyone filed out the giant golden doors. Soon Lord Gywn was left alone sitting on his throne. He could feel himself getting older. He didn't have the same energy as he did when he lead the campaigns against the dragons. His black robes felt kept him warm, while his long white beard and hair kept warmth on his head.

With his hand across his cheek, The Lord of Sunlight dozed into a slumber. His five pronged crown slightly tilting as his head moved down.

* * *

The Lord of Sunlight sat in his throne in silence. He realized he had fell asleep, he slowly rubbed his eyes and waking himself up. The room was completely empty, all the occupants from the earlier meeting has left. The throne room was dimly lit, the yellow glow of the lanterns barely kept the shadows at bay. With a sigh Lord Gywn sat up and walked to a nearby window and looked out.

It was still raining outside, the clouds blocking the night stars. Bolts of blue lightning lit the dark night up, if only for a brief second. A small sliver of hope in the darkness. On the surrounding walls around the Ivory Citadel, he was able make out patrols of Silver Knights. They were walking around in groups of five. All of them on high alert, their eyes scanning every dark place they found.

The Lord of Sunlight finally turned his gaze toward the city. His city. Anor Londo. Despite the previous outbreak at the gates, he still saw many citizens walking around. All of them with the intent of enjoying their night despite the heavy rain.

Many of them seemed ignorant of the state that the world was in. Each day the world came close to dying. the raw life force the First Flame emitted was fading after millennia of use. If its power failed, the world would be plunged into darkness. Death would reign supreme, nothing could survive the dark.

It served as a motivation however. These were his people. The Lord of Sunlight would strive to protect his people, he would make sure that nothing ever broke their happiness. Even if it was just an illusion.

The city had had a golden glow to it. The lights lit the ivory buildings up, making them glow in the night. It was calming.

Closing his eyes, The Lord of Sunlight began to think. To think of the past.

* * *

Flashback

Two figures stood on a hill high above over looking the city of Izalith. The hill itself was of black rock and had no forms of life on it. It was a good viewpoint.

The city of Izalith was far beneath the surface. Deep enough where branches of ancient grey arch trees could be seen. The city was full of life, men, woman, and children roamed the streets in their dark robes. All of them laughing and having a great time. Rivers of lava flowed around the city. Many taverns were open, drunk customers singing cheerily as they drank.

The city itself was built around the lava rivers and oceans. Mountains of black rock served as the foundation for the cities. Fiery orange oceans clashed against stoic black rock. Buildings reached high into the air, providing magnificent views for the inhabitants. On the outskirts, round circular domes lined the walls and ceiling of the underground city. Each of them containing residents of Izalith,

In the magma rivers, ships made out of branches from archtrees sailed the ocean of fire. Beings wielding archtree catalysts maneuvered the ships. They were manipulating the surrounding lava with their catalysts. The ships were immune to the heat and fire, unable to burn like a regular tree would. Unlike a regular ship that sailed water, ships in Izalith did not sail or were not rowed. The were moved by a fire sorcerer manipulating the surrounding lava. The would reside at the very end of the ship.

On the shores children wielding tiny catalysts made the castles out of the lava. The solidified into molten rock they were able to climb and play in. From his position, Lord Gywn was able to see tiny faces peeking out of the black castles.

The inhabitant of Anor Londo were often strict and uptight. While the inhabitants of Izalith could be described as carefree and fun loving. The difference in clothing was interesting also. In the city of Anor Londo, men and woman wore tight fitting clothes, skin barely showing. in Izalith, people wore lose fitting robes that came in many colors. The woman wore revealing clothing also.

Unlike Anor Londo which was said to have a shining golden glow, Izalith had a dark red or even orange dim glow to it. In a way, it had a calming effect. The dark dim light helped many sleep.

Both figures on the black hill watched with a faint smile on their faces. The Lord of Sunlight watched the city, happy with the amount of life. This city was always pleasant for him to visit. Here he didn't have to listen to scrabbling nobles.

The much smaller figure beside to him rivaled him in power. She wore a dark cloak with a hood cover her head. The hood cast a faint shadow over her delicate face. Her face was white, with small spots of black soot lightly coating here face. It was easily agreed upon that she was one of the most beautiful woman in Lordran. Her only rivals being her own daughters.

She was the Witch of Izalith and the leader of this city. The ruling system worked much differently here. In Anor Londo, Lord Gywn was the ruler followed by his children. In the case that all of them were to die, command would be handed over to his top knight, the Dragonslayer Ornstein. Lord Gywn did not trust the nobles to lead. He would rather hand power to his most trusted knights

In Izalith it was agreed upon that The Witch of Izalith was the de facto ruler. Her status as a great lord heavily influencing that. However citizens were able to overide her decisions of there was an vote against her orders. It never happened though.

"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself Gywn." She spoke, her voice was smooth and calm. Yet it radiated a carefully concealed power.

"As am I. This city has alway been of interest to me." He replied back, his gaze never leaving the city.

"However, that is not the reason I called you here" she said, taking a much more serious tone.

"Not a social call I did you summon me for?" Still not taking his gaze from the city.

"I have a solution. We can end our crisis." She said.

His head snapped to her. His cold gray eyes fixing her a stare. She had his full attention.

"Explain." He ordered. Knowing full well he could not order her. She complied anyway though.

"Follow me, I will show you" she replied as she started walking toward her ship.

The Lord of Sunlight followed her onto the ship.

Her ship was huge. Easily towering over the others. The ship was painted pitch black, murals of dragons and other ancient beasts depicted on the outside. Giant black cannons lined the sides of the ship. Each one capable of firing liquid magma at long distances.

The ship was fearsome. The Witch of Izalith was said to have destroyed a fortress held by rogue fire sorcerers. The fortress was nothing to laugh at either. Giant stone walls surrounded it, while heavy iron cannons protected it from invaders. It took the Witch of Izalith a few minutes to destroy the fortress.

She then personally landed on the traitorous island herself to deal with the rogues. Without a moments hesitations she conjured up a storm a flames so great, no traces of of the rogues were left to be remembered by. The crew of her ship saw the raw power she unleashed. Giant pillars of flames covered the island. No rebellion ever happened after that.

Both of them stood on the deck. Her crew was running around, manning the cannons in case of ambush. The Witch of Izalith was manipulated the surrounding lava, the ship began approaching an island. It was uninhabited and all the buildings were far away from the burning shore.

"What is this place?" The Lord of Sunlight asked.

"This place? This place is our solution, from this very island I will fix everything." She said, a wide smile appearing on her pale face.

That worried Gywn. She wasn't known to smile like that.

End of chapter.

Please tell me what you think. I would greatly appreciate it.

-_**Tokyo Express.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Fade.4

Thank you guys who reviewed it means a lot.

In the mean time. What do you think of a crossover with Dark Souls and Warhammer 40k? Granted that the person from 40k is going to need to be given extreme disadvantages to keep it from being a slaughter.

I was thinking A Black Templar with only a Power sword or a Death Korps Grenadier. Perhaps Tyranids? Lol

* * *

The Witch of Izalith stood in front of the pedestal he hand gently holding her lord soul. It glowed a golden color and burnt anything it touched, well except her.

Around her stood her seven daughters. They formed a semicircle around her. Each one wielding their catalyst directly in front of them. Their black hoods obscured their faces in the dim, but the Witch of Izalith could see them chanting verses of different spells beneath them. A small faint orange energy came at the tip of their catalysts.

With her own catalyst, the Witch of Izalith raised her own soul above the pedestal. Closing her eyes she began drawing on its power, carefully looking for a place she could cut it in half. She could feel the warmth of it as she search through it. In it orange flames danced creating patterns of beautiful designs.

If her eyes were open, she would see as her soul expanded outward slightly. Orange flames arched outward in fierce streaks only to be caught by her daughters. The caught flames formed a small sphere around their catalyst, the were pushed back inward toward the Flame of Chaos.

The Witch of Izalith found an opening. Carefully opening it, she began to crack it. Through the cracks she could feel the immense heat. It left a burning sensation on her face. Slowly she began tearing at the cracks. Larger holes appeared and the heat increased, she could feel a slight sting as the it's power lashed out at her with it's ethereal orange flaming tendrils.

The Daughters of Chaos felt more pressure as the flames expanded out, larger streaks of flame lashed out with more force. The sisters were force to take a step back.

The Witch of Izalith could feel herself getting closer. Her soul was expanding and the sheer heat was nearly unbearable. She had to make the push though. So she did. Suddenly her soul exploded knocking her and her daughters down. Looking up she saw her soul reforming in midair. It was red with orange sparks emitting off of it.

Without warming her soul began to merge with the Witch of Izalith. She fell to her knew clutching he stomach. Something was wrong, she could feel a transformation taking place. Her daughters rushed to her side. Trying to help her up. It was too late, the Witch of Izalith began transforming.

In one last gamble to save her daughters, she screamed " GET OUT! LEAVE ME AND SAVE YOURSELVES!"

It was too late. Orange flaming tendrils emerged out of her and seized all of her daughters. From her positions she saw two of them snatched up and placed by her side. Orange energy glowed off of them, her soul was using them as an extra source of energy. She saw her two youngest daughter, Quelaag and Quelaan being transformed.

Both their leg were torn off as the tendrils snatched them. In front of her, The Witch of Izalith saw monsters form in the arena in front of her. Thousands of abomination spawned from her. They took many different shapes. Some took human appearance, others took snake like ones. She saw two shaped like spider affect themselves to Quelaag and Quelaan. To her relief, she saw they were able to break free from the surrounding chaos and escape.

Before she could look at the fate of her other daughters, she collapsed as branches seized her also.

Branches of the archtrees grew around her creating a shield, as she collapsed a red aura could be see. In the small chamber that housed her.

The archtrees served as an ecosystem to breed the abominations around her. They expanded outward, attacking anything they saw.

The Witch of Izalith could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness as the branches formed around her like a cocoon.

_'Damn it! Forgive me my daughters, I have failed you...'_ She thought softly as she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Admiral Callis stood onboard his flagship '_Dominatus_' eying the facility. Moments ago the entire fleet of three hundred vessels surrounding the facility heard an explosion coming from the island. The garrisoning army never reported anything to him. He was beginning to worry.

He knew the Witch of Izalith came up with a solution to rekindle the kiln holding the First Flame. He hoped nothing went wrong.

Suddenly a crewman came running up to him.

"Admiral, the fleet is asking for orders."

Admiral Callis looked at him and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Prepare a landing party. I want the entire fleet in high alert. All ships are to have cannons ready as a precaution." He ordered.

"It will be done admiral." The crewman replied.

He didn't like this. Not one bit. It had been at least ten minutes since the explosion and no one had reported in.

Below him, he could hear the latches to the cannons being opened. The standard vessel in the Izalith Navy contained ten tri-linked cannons on each side. They were mounted in a triangle formation, the top one would fire then the entire formation would turn so it could reload. The next cannon on top would fire. This was to maintain rapid fire.

Suddenly he heard movement. The wall on the island collapsed. In the smoke he could see glowing red eyes. Thousands if them. When the smoke cleared he saw the abominations, they had he heads of goats except with four glowing red eyes. They had humanoid bodies and they wielded to giant brown blades.

With a roar they charged, wading the ought the lava towards the ships. Adrenaline flowed though him.

"ALL SHIP OPEN FIRE" he screamed.

The fleet complied without hesitation. The powerful cannons firing into the orange sea and onto the shore where the things started pouring out in the thousands. They were torn apart by the heavy iron ball, but even so they continued charging.

Suddenly something large jumped into the lava around them. Several ships flipped over from the waves generated.

Looking into the orange ocean below, Admiral Callis saw ripples heading straight toward his ship. He needed to issue out another order.

"Helmsm-" his order was cut off as something emerged out of the ocean next to his ship.

It was a large. Two glowing red eyes stared down at him. The thing was adorned with red glowing cracks along its face. The cannons firing point blank next to it had not affect as they just past right through it.

Admiral Callis stared at it awe. It easily dwarfed his flagship.

With a roar the the thing brought its entire weight down on the '_Dominatus_'. Sending the entire crew to a burning death in the orange ocean.

'How did this happen? What went wrong?' Were Callis's last thoughts before he was consumed by the flames.

More of the giant emerged out of the island, destroying the fleet as they moved outwards.

-Two years prior to current events  
Spawning of the Demons

* * *

The Lord of Sunlight and Witch of Izalith walked though the corridors of the facility.

The structure in question was built on a lone island isolated from the rest of the islands. To Lord Gywn's knowledge, it was apparently a high profile facility. An entire fleet of black warships sailed the lava around it, threatening to fire on anyone who came too close. The ships allowed their ship to pass in harmed though.

The fleet surrounding the island knew better to fire on their leaders ship. Not that they would be able to take on the witch's ship and TWO Great Lords at the same time. Still it pleased Lord Gywn that the men and women manning the black vessels took their jobs seriously.

There was only one entrance to the island, a small pass up the side of it leading directly to the facility. The pass was guarded by a six hundred guard unit. The Lord of Sunlight recognized the unit, they were the honor guard in charge of protecting the Witch of Izalith's daughters. They were clad in dark ebony armor covering the entirety of their body. Not a single patch of skin was showing. They had matching ebony greatshields and pikes.

Upon entering the facility, Lord Gywn noticed it was completely empty. No one was present at all. The Lord of Sunlight could not hold his curiosity back.

"This is where you intend to solve the First Flame? I see nothing at all." Lord Gywn announced in a bored tone.

"You will soon Gywn, we're almost there" she replied.

As they progress further inside, more soldier could be seen patrolling the halls. To Gywn it seemed they were approaching the heart of the facility.

Soon the pair arrived at a platform overlooking a large circular pit. Below the pit, Lord Gywn saw black robes figure he recognized as the daughter of the Witch of Izalith. In the center there was a small pedestal with nothing on it.

On the platform Lord Gywn saw a group of men and woman talking. They were in ebony armor, except they had symbols on their shoulder pauldrons denoting their rank.

Soon they noticed the two Great Lords enter. All of them faced them and bowed respectfully. Two of the officers came up to address the Witch of Izalith.

"Milady, we were just discussing the defenses of this facility. I will be moving two more of my fleets here, along with another thirty to patrol the surrounding regions." One of them spoke.

The man had gray receding hair and his armor denoted he was an admiral. The red sash over his shoulder indicated it.

"Another army will be arriving tomorrow morning to reinforce the defenses, along with more heavy cannons line the walls. We should have about ten thousand troops to give your guard unit relief." The other officer stated.

It was a woman. A portion of her face was burnt off and her armor was noticeably thicker than other officers in the room. She had a black sash around her shoulder. Her head was shaved clean off.

Turning to them, the Witch of Izalith addressed them both, "Well done Admiral Callis and General Galanis I expect our defenses will be completely ready. In the meantime I have brought Lord Gywn of Anor Londo to tour this facility."

Both nodded at him respectfully.

The Witch of Izalith turned to Lord Gywn. Beneath her hood, Lord Gywn could see her eyes staring back up at him.

"I believe it is time to tell you of my plan." She stated not breaking her gaze.

"Indeed I am growing quite curious. You have dedicated such a large force to this one island." He relied while arching her gaze.

The Witch of Izalith let out a small smile, then said "Indeed I have. I have decided I that by using my own lord soul, I should be able to recreate and replace the First Flame! Think of it Gywn, we could have infinite power! We would reign supreme for an eternity unchallenged by the dark!"

A small gleam took her eye. Her eyes were open wide, to an extent Lord Gywn found the gleam comparably to the one found in an insane person.

"You are mad! The power required to make a fuel source for the kiln is unbelievably high ! You're risking yourself to this foolish plan! A lord soul is too powerful a thing to play with, if you make wrong move the consequences could be dire!" The Lord of Sunlight raised his voice, shocked at her plan.

The Witch of Izalith face turned into a scowl, her eyes glaring daggers at him.

"I am The Lord of Chaos, Gywn! Chaos breeds life! If the First Flame allowed us life, than the flame of Chaos should also be able to breed life! Therefore I am the lord over all life, I should be able recreate something I preside over!" She screeched.

The military officer in the room stopped their discussions and began watching the two Great Lords argue. They could feel the growing tension, it made them want to run yet they could not move this feet.

A grimace settled on The Lord of Sunlight's bearded face. His grey eyes stared down at her eyes.

"The flames of Chaos are NOT the same as the flames of the First Flame. How would you even control the power? You are powerful, but the power of a Lord Soul is tremendous. You would need something to stabilize it and control the excess power." Gywn replied calmly with reason.

The glare I her face was still present, but it softened to a lesser degree. She then motioned to her seven daughters in the circular pit below.

"I have trained them. As I separate my own soul, they will guide the excess energy and reform it back into the duplicate soul." She stated.

"What of your son, he's still in his sickly condition correct? He won't take part in this correct? The sores still ail him?" Lord Gywn asked carefully.

" They do. He's a proud fool. I will not allow him to assist us. My daughters created him a ring meant to reduce the pain, yet he refuses to wear it. It is against his manhood to so." She replied with a sigh.

"I see. I still beg of you to rethink your options. The danger is far to great." The Light of Sunlight pleaded.

Another small scowl formed on the witch's face.

"Enough of this. I intend to do this and I will not have you second guessing me." She declared while glaring at him.

There was a pause. The Lord of Sunlight looked down, closing his and letting out a deep breath. After a moment he looked up.

"That is unfortunate. I wish you luck then. Farewell friend." He said. A sad tone present in his low voice.

He then turned and left. A grimace still present on his face. The Witch of Izalith and her military officers watch him go.

* * *

The Lord of Sunlight continued watching the rain fall outside. He could hear it pelting his city as it fell.

He knew that her plan failed the moment remnants of her shattered army and navy came to his city's doorsteps warning of demons. He didn't expect that her soul of life would breed such abominations.

According to the refugees, the Witch of Izalith plan to make another source of fuel for the kiln failed. Her soul of Chaos transformed her into a terrible monster that spawned armies of demons. The entire city was destroyed.

Volcanoes erupted, turning entire sections of the city in black statues. Islands were consumed as tidal waves of lava rose descended upon them. Entire fleets of ships were destroyed as the ocean of lava became unstable, sinking and turning ships completely over with giant waves of orange lava.

The towns and fleets that survived were laid siege to by demons emerging out the orange ocean. They emerged to massacre entire settlements. The army was completely overwhelmed. Very few fortresses remained. It was total chaos.

The Lord of Sunlight found frown forming in his face. Perhaps he should have taken a stronger chance in voicing his disagreement for her plan. He shook his head in denial. The Witch of Izalith was a strong spirited woman. He doubted that even he could convince her.

With a yawn, he headed back to bed chambers to sleep. His age was catching up to him.

* * *

Knight Artorias observed the Silver Knights checking the refugees for any signs of corruption before being allowed to enter the gates. After the meeting Lord Gywn called, the Abysswalker made his way to the main gate to assist the guards at the gate. They were grateful for his assistance.

Being one of the few people to have safely travel the Abyss without being contaminated gave him an uncanny ability to detect signs of the taint. They corrupted always bore some sort or mark denoting they were infected. Most of the time, exposing them to an holy object such as a blessed item caused them irritation. It caused the effects of the Abyss to manifest quickly.

That's what the guards were doing. They all had talismans and with each passing person, they mutter a small incantation that caused bright golden light to appear over a person. Of they turned, the. They were corrupted. It was miracle that Artorias developed himself whenever he was hunting for remnants of the Darkwraith or their supporters.

One thing concerned him however. They Abyss outbreak here seemed different. He had never seen the Abyss transform it's victims like that before. It certainly caused people to become tainted by it, this forcing them to fight for it, but never did it turn them into feral monsters.

He knew what he had to do.

Turning to the Silver Knight commander he spoke, "I believe you have this under your control. I'll be back later to tonight, you have control now."

The commander turned to him, nodded, then replied, " Yes sir. Thank you for your assistance."

With a nod, Artorias grabbed his sword and shield to proceeded out the gate. Something was bugging him and he had to find out what. He started running running down the mountain, running to New Londo. He felt he left something unturned their those many years ago.

* * *

From her position outside, Lords Blade Ciaran watched Artorias leave. His hulking figure creating an silver and azure blur as be passed. Beneath her white porcelain mask, a frown formed on her face.

'Where is he going at this time of night?' She silently asked herself.

Out of all the four knights, Artorias was the one she respected the most and the one she was the most closest to in terms of friendship. In a way both of them were alike and different. They're armor was closest in color. She hunted down enemies of Lord Gywn from the darkness. Artorias hunted down enemies that served the dark. Although her definition of dark meant that shadows that concealed her.

They both became friends relatively quick. Neither of them spoke much and preferred solitude. However a combination between Artorias and Ciaran many would learn, was deadly.

Artorias great sword would glow faint blue as it struck against their enemies, while his great shield would allow her enough protection to slash foes in dire streaks of orange.

Many who saw them fight side by side couldn't help be awed as the faint blue blade and orange yellow blade danced a dance of death as they ripped enemies of their lord apart.

She was unsure what Artorias was doing, however she decided to follow. Her small frame silently stalking him down the mountain. Concern present in her mind.

* * *

Chapter end.

Thank you everyone for reviewing.  
-_**Tokyo Express.**_

(Ignore this)

All members of the Imperium:

None of this is to go into public messages or our forum. Remain completely calm and act normal. I would send mass telegrams l, but this is far too easy.

When you read this, I'm instructing you prepare for possible invasion/raid. According to one of my agents in OII, another region may be planning an assault on our region. I'm going to the site to investigate myself to check the validity of this threat.

All agents are instructed to create fake accounts. I want someone diverting their attention if they do plan on attacking us. Everyone else report to our regional delegate and SHIELD director so we are able coordinate our defense forces according.

The region in question is the Black Hawks region.

We cannot mount a counter attack on the using SWORD due to our small numbers.

I will telegram some of you later. Report to the cabinet members for further instructions.

Ave Imperium.


	5. Chapter 5

Fade.5

Thank you everyone again. It means a lot.

Did anyone see the Dark Soul 2 beta? It looks pretty good. One boss seems to be called Skeleton King.

I kind of wish they made a stealth system. Nothing too game changing, but enough where I could role play as a thief or assassin to a higher degree.

Like say you have a bunch of high grass, an invader could possibly crouch in there waiting for a host to pass and then ambush him. The glowing color of the phantom reduced also. Or say a low branch in a tree you could jump from and attack your opponent.

Of course nothing like instant kills, and plenty of ways to counter ambushes. Just to add variety.

I also hope that we could see more Eastern characters. Or have the ability to start as an eastern traveler with their own classes. Balanced of course. Maybe a mounted knight? All the possibilities.

* * *

A man went to his knees. Blood pouring from the blow he took to the head. The forest and village around him burnt, the smell of burning wood filled his nose. Black smoke blocked his vision and brought moist tears to his eyes.

All around him, an army of skeletons and corpses rose from the ground. They dug their weapons in the villagers organs, spreading thick purple poison inside. Finally they reached him sword and clubs drawn. Their bones clattered as they charged him on the stone street. Despite his best efforts he failed, his catalyst only firing three blast of energy before they dealt a blow to his head, rendering him unconscious.

When he awoke from lying on the stone pavement, his mind realized something.

The village was under attack and his wife and child were not anywhere within his sight.

Panic manifested itself within him. His chest tighten, sweat began to soak his robes, his breathing came in more shallow and swift intakes. Adrenaline soared through his veins making the dark night seem brighter and his hearing intensified to a degree where he could here the movement of the skeletons as they passed.

He turned his head toward the direction his house was and ran. He shot out like a rabbit. The adrenaline pumping through him making his muscles move faster, push harder. He passed hoards of undead as they slaughter his fellow villagers, some of them his friends. It didn't matter to him though, a man was to put his family first. Forsaking all else if need be. He would burn the world down if it came to protecting his wife and child, even the gods couldn't stop him.

Finally he reached his small, humble home. It was a burning inferno. Black smoke rose up to the heavens just like they did with the other buildings. The tightening in his chest became tighter. It clenched him harder. The fear whispering in the back of his mind suddenly became louder, it was screaming. An image assaulted his mind of his wife and child lying on the ground dead and mutilated. Blood running rampant in all directions.

In rage he screamed and charged into the house. The flames raged around him as he broke through the burning wooden door. His own safety be damned.

He saw them lying on the floor. The child and mother clutched each other, both unconscious. A small blanket cover their forms. Dashing towards them, the father picked them bother up on his massive arms and ran out of the house.

As he dashed out, nearby skeletons armed with sword saw him. They stared at him with empty eyes sockets. He should be an easy kill. Carrying two other beings on his shoulders slow him down.

To their surprise he continued running with them on his arms , even when it would be far easier to dump them on the floor and let them die. Most ordinary people would. He wasn't normal though. Through strong family upbringings, his commitment to protect them was unmatched. So he continued running, pain aching in his lungs as he ran.

Turning his head slightly, he could see the burning village and the chasing skeleton army behind him. He was in a grass plain, he had no where to hide.

Suddenly his leg muscles tightened causing him to trip and drop the other. He felt something snap. His tendon most likely. He was in the dirt crawling. The mother and child lay awake on the ground now.

Both of them looked at him from their position in the grass. He saw tears in their eyes.

Gratitude? He came back to save them.

He felt a small smile forming on his face. It was quickly replaced with a look of shock as an armed skeleton came behind the wife and child. The corpse set it's foot upon his wife, holding her down. Then it pulled out a rusty brown sword from its sheath. His world seemed to move in slow motion as the sword was brought down to her throat. Just barely touching it. Then a swift motion, the blade was dragged across her throat.

The mother closed her eyes then opened them. Tears filled her eyes. She was going to die. She felt the rusty blade move across her throat ending her life. A giant red line formed, blood poured out and small red air bubbles formed. Her corpse slowly hit the ground as the skeleton released her. Before her head hit the ground, she able to smile at the father before blackness overcame her.

The father was in rage. Despite his pain, he moved only to be held back by several skeletons. In his rage he knocked a few back, shattering bone and sending white bits in all directions.

To his horror, the picked up his child. The child was kicking and screaming, seemingly having an infinite supply of endurance. It was not enough to save him.

A giant skeleton slowly walked up in front of the child, bringing with it a metal chain. It wrapped the child's neck in the chain and lifted its arm in a sudden, swift movement. The child slowly suffocated.

The father valiantly tried to escape his attackers, resisting them with all his might. Tears rolled down his face as his child slowly suffocated. He could see the body becoming more limp, the face turning purple.

After a minute the child's movement stopped. With disregard, the skeleton carelessly threw the body in the nearby grass. A soft thud could be heard as the child hit the floor.

The father screamed in rage. In fury he smashed the skeletons restraining him. Taking one of their swords he began hacking at the walking skeletons. He was no swordsman, but it yielded the resulted he wanted. Shattered bone and broken bones.

The skeletons were driven back by his sudden ferocity. But soon they regrouped, driving their sword into his back.

Cold blades emerged out of his chest causing blood to splatter over the grass. The father fell to his knees blood spurting out of his mouth. He knew death was coming. Looking up, he enjoyed the cold rain splash his face, it was refreshing. Sudden sadness came over him. As he collapsed he could see the corpses of his wife and child lying in the wet grass. He had failed. With one last grimace he lost consciousness.

Without bothering to inspect the bodies, the skeletons left. Their joints creaking as they moved.

A father, mother, and child lay dead in the grassy field.

* * *

High above the deceased family, a black crow flew through the air. It circled the family, it's black eyes never leaving the corpses. It observed the entire thing. It watched the man as he man escaped the village carrying his family. It's masters would be pleased.

In the distance a being in a black overcoat stalked toward the bodies. The being also saw the entire thing from his crow. He was impressed that a mere human could do that.

'A worthy candidate, Velka will be pleased.' He thought to himself.

Finally he reached the place where the father lay. He set his gloved hand on the father to find that he could still feel blood moving. The body was still warm and the father was barely alive. But not for long.

Kneeling down he whispered a short incantation. A white set of runes hovered over the body, keeping it alive.

Walking over to the mother and child, he found that they were indeed dead. The brutal manner in which they died made him seethe in rage.

'This is what the gods do to the innocent and pure when we don't fit their agenda. They should suffer for their crimes.' He thought bitterly.

As a servant of Velka, he was allowed access to her crow's and given a small amount of control over them. With his mind he reached out to a large one at home. One large enough to carry all the bodies.

He would just have to wait for it's arrival. So he sat down on a nearby rock and waited in the rain.

* * *

The Goddess of Sin sat alone in her black spire high above in the snowy white mountains overlooking Lordran. If it wasn't for the dark rain clouds, she would be able to easily see Anor Londo from her window. It wasn't raining on the mountain, the night was completely clear for her. She could see the stars and moon in the sky. The moonlight illuminated the snow around her spire, giving it a ghostly white glow.

Her current attention was down below in Lordran. Despite the cloud coverage, she could still see the surrounding land. She saw past it simply, using her mind she could observe the entire world though her mindscape. She was the Goddess of Sin. What she lacked in raw destructive power that the other gods possessed, she easily made up for it by being nearly omnipotent. Nothing could escape her sight, thus she could easily plan her movements.

What caught her attention was the undead army of Nito marching toward Ooliciale. They destroyed whatever they came across, spreading disease and filth where they went. She could not allow that to go unpunished.

She would plan for that later though. She had other matters to attend to.

Her black spire stood out among the white snow. The building itself made out of black bricks, blue torches adorned the doorways giving a calming blue glow. Velka alone inhabited the spire. Alone with her black crows. Her giant crow made it's nest on the roof. Watching the surrounding mountain side for any signs of life. The snowfield surrounding the spire was decorated by the bodies of impaled sinner. Their corpse high above the snow, lifeless eyes staring at the ground or the stars. Some crows picked at the bodies taking chunks of flesh and meat off.

Turning from her window, she settled her gaze on the small crowd of humans beneath her. They stood facing her in a rectangular pit easily large enough to fit a dragon the size of Seath inside. There was about ten of them standing in silence in the black rectangular pit. The pit itself was made out of black brick with more blue torches on them.

On the black floor there was barely visible red stains. The men in women in front of her could not see them though in the dim light. They were focused on her.

The Goddess of Sin glared at them beneath her dark hood. She began pacing in slow deliberate steps, her black boots tapped softly on the brick floor. She never took her gaze off of them and their eyes never left here slender form. They stared at her with fear present in their eyes, they had know idea what was going on. They shifted uncomfortably in the makeshift brown rags provided for them as clothing. The torches didn't seem to give off any heat, thus leaving the room considerably cold. The poor excuse they had for clothing barely covered there bodies, leaving them open to the biting cold.

These humans would serve her purpose's well. They would be another batch of experiments for her. She finally stopped pacing and face them, her hand hovering above the lever operating the gate to the outside snow. She decided she would have to address them. Her gaze icy burning down upon them.

"Humans I have brought you here. You are here to fulfill a purpose greater than yourselves and to redeem yourselves. Each an every one of you is a criminal. Some of your are petty thieves, bandits, and even murderers. All of you will atone for your sins tonight."

Some of them shifted uneasily. Their eyes darted back and forth between each other. Finally one had the courage to speak. It was muscular human with a light complexion, heavy beard, and bald head.

"And who the HELL are you? You take us from our homes, our families to gods knows where and lecture us on this nonsense!" He shouted, the bitter cold was getting to him. His mood rapidly deteriorating over the last few hours he spent in the pit.

The Goddess of Sin had a faint grin on her face, her eyes targeting the bald man. From her black robes, she conjured a small brown book and opened it. The pages seemed to be turning by themselves as she kept her eyes on him. Finally the turning stopped and from the page a name formed in dark glowing red. Beneath the name a list of crimes appeared, the glowing red words seemed to be burnt into the page. Every single human below her had a list similar to his. That's why they were here, expendable sinners to be used for her experiments.

She touched the man's name and saw everything. For a brief second the material world faded only for her to be sent another plane of existence. She was in the man's memories, completely invisible to everyone in the memory. She could only observe, but that's all she needed.

She was in a small human city during nighttime. The bearded man, Peter de Montford was a noble. She found herself in by the gates of the city. Two figure were talking in the shadows far away for the guards notice.

"Three hundred gold coins. That should be enough to cover this operation." A man spoke. She recognized the voice. It was Peter.

"Aye, indeed it shall. Now on to business. Tomorrow night I will lead the rest of my men into the castle. We found a small opening in the wall that we should be able to use to safely get in, then make our escape. Then we will proceed to kill them all." The other man spoke, his voice was low. Eyes shifting in all direction as if anticipating an attack.

"Excellent, this will secure my position of power. Remember that I want all of them dead. Not a single one should live. Slaughter them like they're animal. Have your way with his wife and daughters, kill the children, even the unborn one. I'll pay you an extra three hundred gold to hang the fool from his bed chambers window." Peter spoke, his voice filled with a violent passion.

"Agreed. It's best we leave now. I expect the the payment by the end of this job." The assassin said turning away.

Peter just nodded.

The memory faded to white. Velka found herself in more memories detailing his crimes: rape, murder, infidelity, corruption, and greed. She saw why her servant picked him for this project. The man was a monster.

Her consciousness returned her back to reality. With a dark glare settling over her eyes, she turned to Peter to answer him.

"I would be silent Peter de Montford. You live a life of corruption and greed. You've broken families, friends, your greed has made you the most hated man in your minuscule kingdom. Your people will be glad you won't return. I, Velka the Goddess of Sin will assure that." She declared in barely hidden contempt.

The humans below her realized the implications of that. Of her title. All of them knew the entire pantheon of gods from the three Great Lords to minor gods such as Fina or Flynn. All humans were required to know them.

They were scared, The Goddess of Sin, Velka was notorious for determination to punish sinners. There were stories on how she possessed an army of followers to hunt down criminal and offenders of the gods. The stories yielded no survivors. Anyone who was taken would never return.

A few of the men and woman in the pit fell to their knees in prayer. They were praying for forgiveness. Praying for a second chance.

The Goddess of Sin smiled down at them, while putting her book away.

"Praying for forgiveness will avail you nothing. However do not believe you are beyond redemption. Today I offer you a chance to be part of a project greater than yourselves. It will benefit all of humanity." She declared making her voice project through out the white room. Her arms where raised as if praising her own words.

She pulled the lever down by her. The gate leading to the outside opened. On the outside were stacks of weapons and corpses of previous sinners. Dried brown blood covered most of the snow. The entire snowfield was littered with weapons and corpses. Most of them lay frozen in the snow. The bodies that were not frozen in the ground were impaled on sharpened wooden shafts. Blood ominously dropped down from some of them, the more recently dead ones.

Cold bursts of wind assaulted the humans causing them the shiver. The rags barely covered their bodies. Essentially they were naked in the snow.

"The purpose of your redemptions remain all but unnamed to you, but know that you will be redeeming yourselves. I will not speak to you much longer, however you can most likely guess what I wish of you by this little display." The Goddess of Sin spoke, a hint of amusement present in her voice.

The prisoners realized the silent order and began charging towards a weapon in the field. Velka watched in amusement as they slew each other. Using various weapons to annihilate there fellow humans.

Some picked up swords to decapitate others, only to get their throats slit by others who went for the daggers lying on the ground. Three of them attempted to run, but where shot down by a woman who found a bow and arrow. She loaded another arrow in, only for her to get hit in the back of the head by a club wielded by Peter. The criminal moved on and continuously beat the woman. Dents were highly present on her body, skin turned purple and giving way as blood poured out.

In truth there was no need for Velka to kill them this way. This did not provide her plans anything of use. However she still felt they must be punished for their crimes. This was her way of doing so.

Within five minutes they all lay dead, save for Peter.

"I'm alive! HAHA I'm alive!" He shouted in pride. Blood and sweat present all over his muscular frame.

The Goddess of Sin smiled darkly from her window in the black spire. She watched the surviving human in dark amusement as he celebrated like a madman in the snow. She would have to end his amusement, the guilty must pay the price for their crimes. Peter de Montford was drenched in sin, it was disgusting to her.

Focusing her eyes on the human, she began to fade. Her presence in the spire completely disappeared as a black feather fell where she previously stood.

Her disappearance went unnoticed by Peter as he continued dancing in the snow. He was shocked when Velka made her reappearance right in front of him, black feathers and traces of violet energy dispersing where she reappeared.

Before Peter could speak, The Goddess of Sin seized him by his throat, cutting off his air supply. He struggled in her grasp and that brought her great pleasure. She then lifted him off the ground, his feet dangling above it.

She was not as large as many of the other gods, she was more the size of a human. Yet she could easily overpower one. She was still weak in combat compared to other gods. In combat she could take on armies of humans and other lesser beings, whereas a Great Lord would wipe entire kingdoms of the face of the earth. Not a trace of the kingdoms would be found either.

She could see the Peter's eyes bulge of their sockets. The lack of oxygen failed to reach his lungs and his face began to turn a sickly blue color.

Peter stared at The Goddess of Sin in absolute horror. Her grip was like iron and she did not yield to his desperate punches and kicks in an attempt to break free. The black gloved hand would not relent. He turned his attention to her hooded face. In the darkness it the night he was unable to make her face out. He could see a faint trace of a smile on her pale white skin though. Just barely. Her eyes are what scared him. The upper portion of her face was completely hidden to him, except the eyes. He could see a faint red glow emanating from the darkness of her hood. His level of fear rose as her eyes stared back at him. They seemed to be laughing at him.

The Goddess of Sin kept the human within her grip. She could see the fear in his eyes. Heavy drops of sweat and blood came off his skin and hit the white snow below.

He wasn't dying quick enough. By applying heavy pressure, she shattered all bones in his neck, killing him. She tilted her head in glee as the head dropped to the side with only the skin and muscles keeping it attached to the body. Losing interest she threw the body in the snow. All ten of the human sinners where dead. She could now take what she wanted from them.

Pulling her black talisman from a pocket under her cloak, she kneeled and mutter a short incantation. Purple energy gathered above her head then with a sudden explosion it expanded outward creating a growing purple circle. Purple energy gathered around the most recent corpse and entered. The purple aura reemerged out of the mouths of the victims, a small black sprite in the center. The circle began pulling inward taking the black sprites with it.

Everything gathered above Velka's head, where she had a small black bag waiting. Using the black bag, she gathered the black sprites and sealed the bag.

Her objective was complete. With a wave of her hand, wooden pikes emerged out of the ground, impaling the corpse high above in the air.

The Goddess of Sin started back for her tower, but then stopped as she heard one of her crows flying through the air. On top was one of her black clad servants standing as the bird flew and in the crows beak, there were three bodies hanging limply.

* * *

The ruins of the city of New Londo was silent. Something Knight Artorias grimly took note of as he entered the giant cave sheltering the city. He stood on the outskirts on a hill overlooking the water flooded ruins.

Stone towers that once stood proudly, now lay half submerged underneath black waters. Looking down in the water, he could see the faces of his victims staring back up at him. Children held their tiny frail hands out as if asking for him to pull them up. Eyes wide open in fear and hate glared at him.

Artorias shook himself. His black plume moving silently as he shook his head. There was nothing visible in the black water. He was imagining things, guilt flooded his mind.

_Perhaps I could have saved them, if I just ordered the sealers to wait a little longer _he thought to himself, a frown forming on his face.

He shook himself from the notion of that.

_Any longer and the barriers wouldn't hold them in. _He reassured himself.

The Four Kings were strong. It took all his strength to force them in the Abyss. He would't be able to fight them if they escaped the barrier he set. He had made the right decision.

After that day, Artorias took a vow to use his power to hunt and destroy any Darkwraiths he came across. To him it was a way of redemption and a way to pay homage to those lost in the war against the Abyss and the kings. It was the only way he could feel comfortable wearing his azure hood. The color was a symbol of honor and dedication, a gift present to him by Lord Gywn. He always wore it to show his dedication to his lord and as a reminder of his oath against the Darkwraiths.

Turning to a nearby cliff overlooking the city., Artorias slammed his sword in the ground, the hilt pointing upward. The hill was hit by a ray of silver moonlight, it illuminated his sword and armor. Placing both hands on the hilt of his sword, he got on one knee and dropped his head low.

Beneath his azure hood, he closed his eyes and began praying. A prayer for the victims of New Londo. For all who died in the siege. It was his way of showing a small degree of respect for the humans, soldiers, and all other inhabitants of the city.

After several minutes of silence he stood and pulled his sword out of the ground. The light blue blade was glowing slightly as he placed it in its sheath on his back. He began walking towards the grey stone buildings of the ruins. In the back of his mind, he felt disgust. He did not want to enter the city.

But he had to. The serpent was waiting for him there, the serpent who gave him his power.

* * *

Knight Artorias was not alone. Far from it. Deep beneath the black waters of New Londo, an army of black figures watched in contempt as The Abysswalker entered their home. In truth, they wanted nothing more than to drive their blades in his throat. They had orders though. They would leave him alone. They would not dare draw the fury of the serpent upon them.

However they noticed another figure trailing behind the Abysswalker. A smaller one. Their lord only said to leave Artorias alone. Nothing about anyone else.

As if they were a hive mind, the dark figures in the water began swimming toward the smaller one up above. In barely held glee they laughed silently as they swam.

Blood would be spilt and they knew it.

* * *

Chapter 5 end.

Thanks you again everyone.

-_**Tokyo Express**_

(Ignore)

All member of the Imperium.

The telegram system is not working at the moment, so I address you here.

We are safe from invasion and raids for now. This may be one of the last times I need to direct you via Fan Fiction. Admit it though, this is a fairly reliable way if you're looking to avoid detection. From other regions that is.

Tokyo Express will be my call sign. You are to not refer to it in public. Tokyo Express will be a different person than what you ladies and gentlemen know me as. Relax, we are the same person though.

As director of OII, I tell you that our SHIELD director has been retired. The Department has been renamed AEGIS - The Directorate of Armed Exclusion Garrisons and Imperial Security.

However it has come to our glorious leader's attention that some of you may be traitors or even sleeper agents sent from other regions. As director of the Office of Imperial Intelligence, I will be ordering my department to investigate anything of suspicion. All movements and activities will be monitored until we have rooted out the scum.

Any _hint_ of betrayal will be dealt with swiftly and without mercy. You will be purged and **FORCEFULLY** removed from the system. Until this crisis is over, our region will be on lockdown until further notice. At 8:00AM Pacific Time tomorrow morning, all of you are required to be present on the board to read our delegates speech and guild lines on this crisis.

Good news is that three dissenters have been purged. You will see their names on the regional news feed. However we suspect there is more of them.

We believe they are trying to turn some of you against us. Do not listen.

Report any suspicious activity to the Regional Police, OII, and AEGIS. Especially if they approach you with messages. That's how they were able to take out two of our fellow nations.

In the meantime enjoy your evening and prepare for the purges.

Director of the Office of Imperial Intelligence.

Ave Imperium

P.S- If one of you bastards makes another joke on doing a free election in our region, I swear I will throw you into freeway traffic :D. We're a region dictators, emperors, empresses, etc dammit!


	6. Chapter 6

Fade.6

**_theseeker64_**- Creepy messages are gone. We no longer require this as a place to put down our small announcements. Lol

_**Holsh**_- Thank you sir. I noticed that too. I'll try to fix that when I have extra time.

Everyone else thank you.

* * *

_Humanity, despite all my research has always confounded me. In every way, shape, and form they're shaped like us. Far smaller and far weaker, but like us in so many ways. They lack our strength and intelligence, yet they make up for it in sheer willpower._

_Never have I seen a species have so much ferocity as whole. It's frightening really. Although I must raise the question:_

_Was our kind so different in our birth? _

_I too remember the weakness we all possessed. The weakness that put us far below the strength of the Everlasting Dragons. When we emerged out of the fire, I remember each and everyone of us struggled as we crawled forward. Our finding of The Lord Souls ascended us to godhood. The unchallenged masters of Lordran. _

_Could humanity too achieve the greatness that we achieved? Lord Gywn and his knight Artorias believe so. Both of them always do say that one day, humanity shall take our place. The Allfather would embark on a violent rampage of he ever heard those two speak of something like that. Idealist of both of them, especially for someone like the Abysswalker._

_I am greatly disturbed however..._

_Where did they come from? No details on their origins. Nothing at all. Not a trace of anything. I have driven myself mad on trying to unmask this mystery. Not even the Great Archives possess anything on them._

_They only shortly emerged after the advent of The Age of Fire. They certainly weren't present when we emerged out of the flames light and they weren't present in the war against the dragons. _

_What created them though?_

_Upon close inspection of their bodies, I found that their bodies are an exact replica of ours. Smaller and by far inferior, but still shocking nevertheless. That isn't the most concerning however. _

_Upon closer inspection of their souls, I found it to be completely black. I've never seen anything so dark. I ordered one of my assistants to touch it, but upon contact the black sprite corroded his arm clean off. The amount of darkness in humans is appalling. It's so...corrosive._

_What does this mean though? In our species, our souls are different and varies in colors. Yet in a human they're all the same. No difference in appearance except for size and the memories they contain. I don't like this. It's like they were created artificially. _

_I continuously plead that Lord Gywn exterminate them. They're existence is far to dangerous. Too many unknowns and with First Flame's power waning, we can't take our chances with unknowns._

_My pleas fall on deaf ears though. Lord Gywn refuses to commit and "unjust genocide" without a reasonable cause. This is absolute madness! Noble of him, but also foolish._

_Lord Gywn has ordered me to research further into the black sprites in humans. I will continue to investigate it, perhaps we could find something of use out of it? _

_-Unknown document regarding humanity._

_Found in Ooliciale._

* * *

Knight Artorias walked alone in the dark halls of the ruins of New Londo, his heavy silver armor clanking with each step he took. On his back, his sword glowed a faint blue and gave off a small barely visible light source.

Usually the glow didn't start until he was in combat, but the dark nature of his current surrounding were activating the divine power in the blade. The blade itself was made from the strongest and finest materials known, the Blacksmith God himself forged it. The sword was nearly unbreakable, never losing its edge and never rusting. It was unmatched and even The Lord of Sunlight's own sword was not on the same quality as his own.

The power was blessed by Lord Gywn himself and the Allfather Lloyd. The divine power of both deity's warded off the darkness and allowed him to do actual damage on unholy beings. The sword radiated holy energy, Artorias could constantly feel it.

Two sword were forged by the Blacksmith God, one for Artorias and another was later forged for the Great Wolf Sif. Both blades had the same properties and strengths.

Yet there was a third sword that only Artorias knew about. A sword formed from the Abyss itself when he agreed to form a covenant with the creatures inside the Abyss.

An exact replica of his own sword, except it was completely black. The handle, the hilt, and the blade completely pitch black. It lacked the holy properties that his own sword had, but made up for it in its raw physical strength. Five times more durable than his regular sword. According to Kaathe it was formed from the souls of humans. That shocked and disgusted him, were humans that durable?

Artorias shook himself from that thought and focused on the hall in front of him. At the vary end of the hall was a room. Two heavy iron doors were at the entrance, a small seal placed in the center. The seal let out a faint white glow, barely visible from a distance but up close it was bright.

He placed his hand on the seal and focused his energy into it. A click was heard and slowly the door rumbled as it opened. Artorias entered the room, armor still clanking with every move he made. Silently he closed the door and as his hand left the door, the seal reactivated. The room he was in was large and circular, illuminated by glowing blue torches adorned on the gray stone walls. He could see a faint golden ow on the wall, part of the barrier.

In the middle of the room was a pit with no definite bottom, but a ladder was on one of the sides. Slowly Artorias walked up to the edge of the put and looked down.

'_Let's get this over with.'_ He thought to himself in defeat.

He let out a sigh and jumped down the pit. A faint azure blue blur spead downward.

He forgot about the ladder.

* * *

The Lord's Blade Ciaran silently stalked Artorias. Beneath her dark blue robes, her midnight black armor felt utterly cold to touch. She had never been to New Londo before it was destroyed and it was off limits for anyone other than Artorias to visit the ruins. He was the only one who could deal with any Abyss remnants. No use anyone else getting infected. She wasn't even supposed to be here. Yet she followed him anyway.

'_Forgive me Artorias' _she silently apologized.

She knew why Artorias came back to the city. It was fairly obvious. He was looking for any relations on the Abyss outbreak in Ooliacile.

As one of his few close friends, she understood that Artorias spent considerable amounts of time looking for ways to combat the Abyss. Hours upon hours she watched him struggle to create new miracles to combat it. Sometimes she would find him in his personal chambers collapsed on the floor after over exerting himself while working on a way to counter the dark powers of the Abyss. He constantly exhausted himself.

The fading of the First Flame put even more stress on him. As the world's stability loosened, the Abyss found more ways to escape and small groups of people would come under its influence. Those tainted would secretly try to spread it. As a member of Lord Gywn's inner circle, she knew that Artorias would spend weeks at a time hunting down the tainted. In some cases he would have to "cleanse" an entire community to do so.

A fact that weighed heavily on him.

'_So much weight on your shoulders Artorias, when will you get a rest_' she thought to herself sadly.

Suddenly she saw Artorias approach a door, a small seal placed in the center. He placed his hand on it and it opened.

'_A seal? This must be it...be safe Artorias..' _

As soon a the door closed she stepped into a shadow at the end of the hall, her form completely hidden. Behind her white porcelain mask she frowned. She didn't like the ruins atmosphere, it felt so lifeless, so dead. It was worrisome.

Ciaran was an assassin and lifelessness and death were two things she dealt with regularly. She didn't like how quiet it was. There was no crowds to blend into, no sound to muffle a scream or hide a footstep. It got on her nerves. It was dark though. She could work with that.

Suddenly she heard a sound. A small splashing noise, like water hitting the ground as it fell from something. A dripping noise was more of what it was, followed by a small clank associated with heavy armor.

She rested her hands on her tracers, both warm to touch. Then she saw them. Skull faces and armor shaped like bones. The Darkwraiths. The traitors legions. She felt a small rage form inside her chest at the sight of them.

They were spread out, swords drawn and ready. At least a couple dozen moving about. They appeared to be looking for something, but what?

'_No... They've come for Artorias haven't they..' S_he thought to herself grimly.

She couldn't allow that to happen. To her left, there was a passageway leading to a rectangle room with giant pillars holding it up. It was dark an offered a larger area for her to combat them.

She got up to her feet and ran towards the passageway, deliberately making noise as she ran. She arrived in the room and hid behind a pillar while keeping her eyes to the entrance.

Her plan worked. The Darkwraiths followed her down and spread out into two man teams sweeping the room. She could see their white masks underneath their black hoods. They looked like floating white skulls in the darkness.

Ciaran grasped her signature weapons; The Golden and Silver Tracer. A golden curved sword that left bright gold streaks as it cut through the air and a silver dagger coating with poison and sharp spikes adorning the edges of the blade.

She spotted her first two targets, two of the traitor knights standing in front of her with their eyes turned. She dashed toward them without making a sound and then plunged her Silver Tracer into ones head. Killing it. The other turned to her and swung it's sword only to connect with nothing. Ciaran was gone.

Silently she jumped out of the moonlight and back into the shadows behind the traitor. Her golden began vibrating softly as she swung it into the other Darkwraiths back. Golden streaks met with bright crimson blood as it sliced through it's armor.

While it was recovering from her sudden attack she jumped on it's back, moving her arms around it's neck and twisted. She was rewarded with an audible snap and the bodily slumped to the floor with a thump.

Beneath her mask she smirked, her eyes hidden beneath the narrow eye slits of her porcelain white mask held a barely contained glee. The rush of getting the kill was always exciting.

She could hear the other Darkwraiths rushing towards her position, seemingly aware of their comrades sudden deaths. They held their sword in a defensive position as they rushed forward.

On the far side of the room, a window brought in the ghostly white moonlight. Ciaran stood in the moonlight watching as the Darkwraiths made a semi circle around her. They stood in absolute silence, neither side moving.

Finally one of the traitors broke formation and charged her. The Darkwraith's sword descended in a downward slash, completely missing as she sidestepped the blow.

As it's arm came down she brought up her Golden Tracer in an upward slash. The golden blade vibrated as it sliced right through the armor and cut the thing arm off completely. It fell to it's knees clutching it's arm. It let out an ear piercing shriek as it fell.

Another Darkwraith broke formation and rushed forward to help it's comrade. It brought its sword in a stabbing motion, aiming for Ciaran. She saw the attack coming and picked up the wounded traitor by it's hood and used its face to block the sword. The shrieking stopped as it its face caved in from the sword. Blood splattered all over the floor.

The attacking Darkwraith was stunned from it's failed attack and Ciaran used that to her advantage. She charged, bringing her Silver Tracer up and jumped. Her feet connected with its chest while her arm clasped the traitors neck. She brought her Silver Tracer up and stabbed downward multiple time, breaking its mask while destroying the brain. She jumped off and landed on her feet.

Two Darkwraiths dead. The surrounding Darkwraiths stood watching in amusement. Silently they were excited. They would enjoy the struggle of killing the woman in front of them.

Behind her white porcelain mask, Lord's Blade Ciaran smiled. She too would enjoy the killing.

Without a word and without breaking her gaze upon the traitors in front of her, she silently stepped out of the moonlight and into the shadows.

'_Time to get to work_' she thought to herself in excitement.

* * *

Knight Artorias was surrounded by utter blackness. The area around him had no floor, walls, ceiling, or even any sort of dimensions at all. He was was walking on nothing. This was the Abyss.

'_Look...'_

'_Foolish...'_

'_Him... Filthy_'

'_Traitor...'_

_'The Abysswalker'_

'_...Slit his throat!'_

'..._Tear it open!'_

'_Slay him! Kill him! Maim him! Taint him!_'

'_He's ours now! Embrace the darkness completely! Give in!_'

Artorias could hear voices surrounding him, yet they sounded distant. Murmurs from an invisible crowd it seemed to him. Memories of those he's slain and now reside in the Abyss. He couldn't tell.

"Artorias you have come. I presume you're here for information, hmm?" A voice called out to him in the darkness.

Without bothering to hide his disdain for the creature behind him, Artorias turned and kneeled. His head was bent low and knee raised while his arm rested on it. He purposely avoided the creatures red eyes.

Artorias replied, "You know exactly why i'm here! I thought we had a de-"

"Do not presume that it was I who was responsible for it Abysswalker. I never broke our agreement." The creature scolded him harshly.

Artorias kneeled in silence. His mind working to figure out the serpent's motives. He tilted his head up and studied the creature.

"Then who did? To my knowledge only you're the only one able to unleash something on that magnitude.

"Ooliacile themselves brought the Abyss upon themselves. How? I do not know."

More silence. Artorias did not like what he was hearing. The creature in front of him was a crafty one, their motives never clear. A Primordial Serpent. Officially titled Darkstalker Kaathe looked down on him. A black serpents head that resembled a snake, rose from the darkness and looked down upon him. Before him was the corrupter of the Four Kings and the leader of the traitor legions, The Darkwraiths.

"I'm assuming Gywn has given you orders to combat this new threat?" Kaathe asked.

"I am to deploy my legions in the coming days."

"Good. I will add on to your orders. Destroy everything. Leave no survivors."

Artorias's fist tightened and he clenched his mouth shut.

Taking a deep breath he finally replied, "It will be done. I take it we still have our agreement?"

"I will prevent any large outbreaks until the First Flame crisis is resolved. That should will give your precious kingdom more time. You have my word."

"Then we are done here." Artorias declared and turned to leave.

He had enough of this place.

"Artorias." Kaathe called out from behind him.

The Abysswalker stopped walking and turned his head.

"Remember as long as this deal lasts, you belong to the dark. I was the one who granted you the power of Abysswalking. All those tails that they sing of you in Anor Londo are _false_, even your willpower was not enough to save you. You serve me and me alone. Do not fail me when I say to wipe out the entire city." Kaathe ordered, while his red eyes stared at Artorias.

Artorias simply nodded and turned away. He was simmering in rage.

'_Another massacre, forgive me. I do this for the greater good.' _Knight Artorias told himself.

* * *

Darkstalker Kaathe watched Artorias leave. His order had been given and he knew the Abysswalker would follow them, even if he disagreed.

"You have the Abysswalker as your puppet. But tell me, why don't we allow the Abyss to spread now." Another serpent spoke behind Kaathe.

"You know why Frampt, we still need a lord to lead us. Humanity is not strong enough yet. We will bide our time until then." Kaathe replied.

"I see. You're sending Artorias to clean up our mess in Ooliciale." Frampt asked.

"He is the only one who can do it without causing suspicion to ourselves. I still can't believe those councilors believed our lies, they were only supposed to gain a little power."

"Yet they bring the entire might of the Abyss upon them. I am troubled on how they managed to do that."

"I suggest you continue you talking to Gywn. Misdirect him from our goals."

"That is my plan."

Both Primordial Serpents stopped talking. Their conversation was over. Silently they both slithered through the darkness. They had work to do.

* * *

The Lords Blade Ciaran selected her next target, the last traitor standing. All around them the room was littered with corpses of Darkwraiths. Deep gouges and stab marks all over their bodies. Crimson blood was visible in the moonlight.

She watched her target from the shadows. He lost his sword and was standing unarmed. Ciaran took her chance and ran toward him, both tracers in an attack position. She would finish him now.

The Darkwraith heard her approach and faced her. Suddenly its hand began to glow a dark red.

She ran right into it. The Darkwraith activated its art of life drain. She was desperately trying to get away. Finally she regained her composer and used her Gold Tracer to slice the things head off. It rolled to the floor and the body hit the ground with a loud thump.

Ciaran fell to her knees, her body was in massive pain. Suddenly she heard a footstep behind her. She began to turn, but a blow to the head knocked her unconscious.

* * *

Knight Artorias stood over the unconscious form of Lord's Blade Ciaran.

'_I'm sorry my friend._' He apologized to her silently.

Beneath his azure hood a frown formed. He had just attacked a comrade. Granted she wasn't supposed to be here, he still felt guilt creeping up on his conscious. He couldn't let her know about his affiliations with the Abyss though. It was necessary.

He knelt down and picked her up, putting her over his shoulder. She was extremely lightweight, her small body almost weighed nothing when compared to his own huge body.

'_Almost human' _he thought comparing her size.

Finally he stood up and began running, carefully making sure she was secure over his shoulder. He needed to be back at Anor Londo before sunrise.

* * *

Augustus Leon along with the rest of his fellow soldiers watched black smoke ascend into the rainy night sky from their outpost. For the last few hours they watched uneasily as gray ash fell from the sky, coating the stone walls.

Around him, sixty men in heavy steel armor talked inside the walls of the guard tower. They were giants of men, their hulking figures towed over any regular man. That was expected of anyone from Berenike though. They laid their sword, shields, and pikes next to them as them as they watched the smoke.

"What do you think is going on down there?" Someone called out.

"No idea, we just have to wait for those scouts to return, maybe they can enlighten us." a voice replied.

"If anything, it's probably just a fire. Lighting probably hit a tree or some poor farmers field."

"Are you an idiot? No way a fire could start in this rain. Someone must be burning something and it got out of control."

"Heh I doubt that, unless you think someone was fast enough to set that many areas on fire at once."

"Shit, we're the closest outpost. I bet you we're going to have to be the ones to have to sort out whatever mess is down there."

All around him Augustus could hear his fellow troops arguing. It didn't concern him, he was just focusing on the smoke. For years he served the Empire of Berenike, one of the first human empire's. For the last two centuries Berenike had been expanding from their home cradle.

For five years he was stationed in this outpost and this was the most exciting thing he has seen during his time here.

His unit was charged with overlooking the surrounding settlements. A fairly boring job. They spent most of their time patrolling the region and practicing combat drills.

The outpost was situated on a large hill with large stone wall surrounding it. In the center of the outpost were the barracks, mess halls, and other various buildings the soldier set up during their free time. It housed a little over a thousand troops. Two cohorts consisting of four hundred and eighty men, plus a three hundred guard unit for the outpost itself. A cohort would entail eight groups of sixty men for smaller operations, while the guard unit would operate in groups of a hundred. A hundred units for all three sides of the wall.

Suddenly he saw something moving up the hills. A small figure running up the hill. Behind the small figure was a group of large figures. He could hear a faint scream emanating from the direction of the figures. He couldn't make out details, the heavy rain cutting off his vision. He had to tell everyone else.

"I spot movement! A group running up the hillside!" He shouted while pointing.

The rest of his comrades stopped bickering and looked where he was pointing.

It was a little girl. A little girl being chased by a large group of running undead. She was screaming whole she ran. Suddenly he heard the gate commander shouting orders.

"Open the gate!" He barked, then he pointed to Augustus's group, "Get into formation, protect the civilian!"

All sixty men descended the stairs leading up to the guard tower and formed right behind the gate. The gate open and Augustus found himself charging out in a square formation. He was the first one in his row. There was six rows, each one had about ten soldiers in each one. Sixty soldier in each small unit.

The plan was simple: the first line of soldier would take the brunt of the enemy attacks while thinning the enemies ranks with their pikes, until the unit's commander would order the next line to move up and the first line would move to the back. That way they could keep each man refreshed and ready for the next fight.

Augustus's unit stood in a defensive formation right outside the gate, forming a wall of great shields.

"First line, make sure that child is able to get through!" Augustus heard his sergeant shout.

The first line made a small gap in their shields, just enough so the little girl could get through.

She charged though the gap, hysterically screaming and sobbing. She couldn't have been any older than seven or eight. He felt a stab of pity for her, she must have been traumatized. It reminded him of his own daughter.

'_Focus! Now is not the time_', Augustus chastised himself.

The undead were about to reach the first line. Suddenly he felt something slam on his shield. It was an undead woman, the smaller dagger in her hand uselessly swinging against his shield. Her clothes were torn in various places and her gray skin was rotting. Patches of her skin was torn off, it was repulsive. Her hair had fallen of in clumps and her now was completely missing. Just two blood covered slits.

All around him, the fist line was plagued by similar problems. A wave of corpses were slamming against the wall of shields. At least fifty undead creatures assailed the formation.

They were howling like rabid animals. Like a rabid animal, they needed to be put down.

Suddenly the first line attacked, heavy pikes emerged out of the formation at the same time. Augustus's pike pierced the woman's eye and then through back of her skull, before he pulled out. Her body hit the ground.

Then he heard the unit commander shout, " Second line move up! First line back!"

Augustus moved to the back of his row. For ten whole minutes the process continued until all the corpses lay on the grass dead again.

"Stack the abominations in a pile, then burn them in a pyre. I don't want these filth to rise back up." Augustus heard his commander shout.

How the hell do you burn bodies in such heavy rain? It was pouring, thick heavy droplets pelting his heavy steel armor.

"Sir, how the hell do you expect us burn them in this rain? We won't be able to get a fire to last long enough." Augustus answered.

"Then decapitat-" his sergeant was about to reply, but a voice interrupted them.

"We have a horseman coming up the road!" A soldier shouted.

They could hear a horse galloping and see the faint glow of a lantern attached to it's side.

The sixty unit group move into a square formation again, blocking the gate. Great shields slammed into the mud and long pikes came out just above the shields. Along the stone wall, more soldiers came with bows and arrows.

Behind the formation, General Hadrian, the outpost's commander stood behind Augustus's formations observing. He had short gray hair, a messy gray goatee, and a face adorned with wrinkles. His helmet was held by his arm, while his free arm was hanging to his side just above his mace.

Augustus stood in the front line again. He was able to make out there was more than one horseman. A group of about eight rode in two separate rows behind the one in lead. Four in each row.

"I spot eight others trailing behind the main one!" Augustus shouted out.

They were getting closer, the front became tense. The sound of the horses hooves hitting the mud ringing in their ears. The horsemen were only a few minutes away.

Finally they arrived. They were fellow Berenike's. The lead one had a red scarf over his shoulder signaling that he was a messenger. The lack of shoulder pauldrons and smaller chest plate also denoted his identity also.

The man on the lead horse stared down at them.

"I come bearing a message from Regional Overlord Antonius , where is General Hadrian?" The messenger declared, his voice crisp and had a faint trace of someone born from aristocracy.

Augustus didn't like the sound of that. A Regional Overlord was a government official assigned to command an entire region under Berenike's control. They oversaw and directed all major activities in a region and had command over any military presence in the area. Every one of them was well educated and well paid.

"I am General Hadrian, where is this message?" The general said, moving his way through his troops.

The messenger got off his horse and knelt in front of the general. He reached inside the bag he kept by his side and pulled a letter out.

"Here it is milord." The messenger said, not leaving his kneeling position.

"What a kiss ass. Damn messenger is just trying to look good." Someone whispered behind Augustus.

Behind him, Augustus could hear some of the other troops laughing quietly. In his head he was also suppressing the urge to laugh.

General Hadrian took the letter and began reading it. As he was reading it, a grimace was slowly forming on his face. After about a few minutes Hadrian stuffed the letter in his satchel on his side and turned to the messenger who was still kneeling.

"Rise. Tell Antonius I will have my troops deployed in the hour. We will link up with the other forces. Now go." General Hadrian ordered the messenger.

The messenger bowed and swiftly got on his horse and rode away in the rain. Eight other riders trailed behind him.

The general turned to everyone else, his face was hard and grim. Augustus could feel everyone tensing up around him. They didn't like it and neither did he. General Hadrian made his way to the center of the crowd, all eyes following him.

"Gentlemen, I regret to inform you that we are currently at war." Hadrian declared shocking everyone with his announcement.

Murmurs swept through the crowd of steel clad Berenike soldiers. Everyone was looking at General Hadrian waiting for more information.

General Hadrian then looked at everyone and said "I have received word that only hours ago, the undead legions of Nito have risen from their graves and have begun a viscous attack on the settlements down below. There has been no survivors except for that child. Nito himself is leading his army personally."

Murmurs turned to cries of shock. The Berenike's looked at each other in alarm, heavy steel armor clanked as they shifted in it.

"The motives to this attack is currently unknown, but by orders of the Regional Overlord and our duty to defend Berenike from all threats, we will have to stand against Death. Our orders are to hold Nito's army off until we receive reinforcements."

Augustus looked at his fellow soldiers. Their faces were filled with grim resolve. They would have to stand against a god.

Then suddenly someone behind Augustus shouted, "This...this is heresy! To defy one of the gods is an unforgivable sin! We mustn't do so!

Everyone turned to the offender. It was a young recruit, his shaved blonde hair being pelted by heavy rain as his helmet was off. A manic look took his eyes and frantically they tried to make eye contact with everyone. He must have been raised from one the highly religious families, one of more wealth but lacking far more courage when compared to his fellows.

General Hadrian glared at the boy. It was taking his every fiber of his being not smash his skull open with his mace. An open attack on Berenike's citizens meant war, even if the attackers where gods. Berenike would bow down, but never would they submit their pride.

Instead he walked up to the soldier, his body towering over the recruit. Cold gray eyes seemed to pierce the recruits souls as he stared down.

"So you refuse to do your duty?" Hadrian asked.

The recruit gulped. Sweat and rain moved down his face as he spoke, "Sir I refuse to take arms against a god. I will be damned to onto Velka's book of damnation if I do sir."

General Hadrian and all the surrounding troops were openly glaring at the man. Cowardice. Coward had no place in Berenike's proud army. They fought and died as a single, cohesive unit. Cowardice was punishable by death. This man was only trying to save his own skin.

"I cannot believe I am hearing this. A man brought up by Berenike acts like this...? Tell me one last time then. Do you refuse to stand by your comrades?" Hadrian asked, his voice taking a soft and low tone.

"I refuse to damn my soul to something like that sir." The recruit declared, his voice shaking.

Silence fell over the crowd of soldiers. They knew what the recruit had just done. He had just signed his own death warrant.

General Hadrian donned his helmet and made a hand gesture to two soldiers standing nearby, his hand pointing towards the recruit. Both soldier grabbed him, securing his tightly by the arms and dragging him to his knees.

"You have betrayed your fellow soldiers of our proud empire by your blatant cowardice. A stain on our proud record that must be eradicated. I, General Marc Hadrian of the Berenike Army hereby strip you of your arms, armor, and pride as a soldier of our glorious empire. The punishment for your crime of cowardice may only be absolved through death. You are to be executed immediately." General Hadrian proclaimed in a harsh tone.

The recruit turned white, his skin pale with shock. Two soldiers striped the recruit of his armor and weapons, throwing them on the ground. They landed in the brown mud.

General Hadrian then turned to Augustus. Both of their eyes met. A silent acknowledgment.

Augustus knew what it meant. Silent he walked in front of the recruit and from his back he drew his greatsword. It was a heavy mass of steel and iron that not many could use, but to the average soldier of Berenike, it was the prefer weapon. A weapon they were trained to use the very second they turned nine years of age.

He glared at the recruit. The crowd of soldiers watched in silence as rain pelted their skin and armor.

Without a word, Augustus lifted his sword while his gaze never left the recruits trembling eyes. Then he brought is down on the boy's chest, the tip cleaving the ribcage apart. The steel blade emerged out of the kid's neck, killing him instantly. Crimson red blood stained the dirt beneath them. The body hit the ground with a loud smack as Augustus's blade withdrew itself from the body.

Two giant Berenike soldiers picked up the corpse and threw it into the pile of dead bodies from the last assault. Augustus stood and nodded to General Hadrian in acknowledgment.

* * *

General Hadrian of the Empire of Berenike stood in the rain with his troops. He looked at all of them and couldn't help but feel pride swell in his chest. He was part of the greatest fighting force humanity had produced thus far.

He commanded soldiers with iron wills and unmatched discipline . Each soldier of Berenike was extremely well armed and clad in the best armor. Each soldier had a great shield, steel pike, steel great sword, a mace, and a small hidden dagger. That was the basic equipment each soldier was issued.

The people of Berenike were unusually big for humans also, some of the could match a Silver Knight of Anor Londo in size. All of it rock hard muscles.

General Hadrian watched the two cohorts in front of him assemble and turn to face him. He stood above the gate they were about to depart. A hushed silence fell over the two cohorts as he raised his arm, signaling he wanted to speak.

"Never before has a situation like this occurred to us. Never before die we ever think we would have to face a god in the glory of battle. As all of you know by now, The Lord of Death himself leads an army numbering in the millions, cutting our people down like wheat. We must protect our people. Our duty as Berenike's demands it. Currently messengers are making their way to the capital to deliver word to the Emperor himself of this act of aggression towards our people. I can guarantee all of you that in the following weeks, the full might of the Berenike war machine will arrive here and join us in pushing back the undead!"

The soldier beneath him shouted, "For Berenike! For the Emperor! For our people!"

General Hadrian smiled as the gates opened and his army marched out. Marched out to their doom.

* * *

Augustus Leon stood in the front line of his row, his great shield in front of him. An hour ago they met up with the other local forces in the region. Now they had a force of a couple thousand men. Enough to put up a fight against Nito's army.

Silently the formation observers the plain around them. Towns burned like red infernos as cold rain descended down from the sky. Heavy wind picked up some of the smoke and spread it across the air. It seemed hell to Augustus. He felt nothing but cold rage as he saw those towns burn.

Augustus could feel himself shaking. Kilometer in front of him stood Nito himself surrounded by his army of a million corpse's. He could see bodies of the deceases and skeletons crawling into Nito's huge form. Skull faces adorned The Lord of Deaths body, seemingly laughing in amusement at the army in front of them.

It seemed ethereal to Augustus. The god towered over the humans. They could tell even from the distance. Augustus then tightened his grip in his weapon, remembering he was a proud Berenike.

Berenike would never fall so easily.

* * *

Heavy rain struck the mountain of corpses that consisted of Gravelord Nito's body. The Lord of Death sat observing the surrounding grassy plains. Each individual skeleton that made his form chattered quietly among themselves, empty eye socket monitoring the landscape. Some of them seemed to be laughing as they watched the chaos unfold around them.

For miles all around him, smoke rose up from the surrounding human towns in large black pillars in the rain. Gray ash fell with the white rain, mixing with soil and littering the wet ground with masses of gray dirt. Human fortifications fell and burnt under the combined might of the dead.

An army of _millions_ layed waste to the surrounding region. Millions of corpse slaughtering the living as they desperately tried to defend themselves. An ever growing army expanding outward spreading death and disease wherever they went.

From his mind, The Lord of Death controlled the army. He could see out of the eyes of each and every one of his soldiers. Nito coordinated their movements and actions all from his mind. Each undead soldier was an extension of his will, completely mindless and following orders without question. They were the proof that death would find you. No matter how far you ran or how well you hid.

His intentions where to end the threat of the Abyss in Ooliacile, to wipe the city off the face of the earth of he had to. The Abyss posed a threat to his existence and he could not allow that to happen. Nothing would be allowed to defy Death. Velka was right, the darkness did pose a threat to him.

Human settlements burnt as they came in between him and his warpath. They would have to die too. So far only humanity could be tainted by the Abyss. If he was to stay in power he would have to begin exterminating them. A genocide campaign to keep his power. He was doing them a favor though, they were better off being taken by death rather than the Abyss itself.

In the distance a human army formed in defiance against The Lord of Death. Thousands of human soldier stood in square formations in the cold rain. Encased in gray steel armor, the humans stood tall with great shields and weapons at their sides. They didn't flinch as even as Death set his icy gaze upon them.

The Lord of Death recognized the human soldiers. They were soldier from the small kingdom of Berenike. The largest human country followed by the smaller nation of Balder, the only two human nations at the moment. By human standards they were superpowers in a sense, yet when compared to Anor Londo and Izalith, they were nothing but specks on the global scale.

They were still growing and learning. However they made up for it in boldness, following in the gods footsteps. Bravely trying to match their figures of worship in strength.

The Empire of Berenike controlled a vast amount of territory. Their capital city was located in the at the base of the mountains overlooking Lordran and from there they expanded outward to the coastline and into the forests south of Lordran.

Balder also was also beginning to expand from their capital region located on grass plains outside of Lordran. They expanded eastward, just below the mountains separating Lordran from the Eastern Lands. Balder did not have the same power that Berenike wielded, but within the decades they would be extremely strong and able to match Berenike in strength.

The Lord of Death knew much about their kingdoms. He always looked into the memories of the deceased and studied their cultures, economy, government, and military might.

The army in front of him did not impress him, they would be no match. Below him he could hear his army of corpse's shift in excitement. They could sense the prey in front of them. Millions of bodies raised their weapons high in the air, bones clattering non stop.

The soldiers from Berenike were not intimidated. Far from it. The burning towns and villages around them filled them with rage. A rage kept in control by their superior discipline.

Berenike put an emphasis on tight controlled phalanx formations and heavily armored infantry. The men had to learn to work together and keep themselves coordinated to be effective during battle. They fought as one unit. Their heavy armor slowed them and made them highly vulnerable to archers. The phalanx formation counter that weakness. They still suffered the weakness in formation, however their heavy steel armor made up for that. Most of the time they would be able to tank there way to their target.

Their formations would not save them from The Lord of Death.

Raising his arm, Nito silenced his army. All movement and sound ceased and the corpse army stood absolutely motionless. The battlefield was quiet with the exception of the rainfall pelting the ground and the occasional cracks of thunder. In the darkness of the night, faint ghostly white glow could be seen from the eyes sockets of Nito's troops.

As his army stood motionless, The Lord of Death moved forward, his mountainous presence over shadowing everything below him.

The Berenike soldiers tensed, shields raised and pikes jutting out of the formation. All of them fixed their glares on Nito. The commanders of the formations were unsure how to proceed. How do you fight death itself?

The Lord of Death stood in front of the Berenike formation, millions of white skulls staring down at the human army. The formations tightened, shields moving even closer together. The air around the the soldiers became colder and chill went up their spines. Death was only a few meters away from them.

"Humans, you dare defy me? I am The Lord of Death, far beyond your comprehension. You dare challenge death itself in battle? Punishment for your defiance must be handed down." The Lord of Death declared in a thousand voices, off pitch but in perfect synchronization.

The Berenike formations began advancing quickly through the mud. Swords and spears raised behind heavy shields as they moved forward.

The Lord of Death watched them advance in amusement.

'_How foolish...' _He thought to himself.

Nito targeted the first formation, a cohort of four hundred and eighty men and raised his enormous arm. Skeletons and bone fragments fell out as his arm moved upward.

With them in his sights, The Lord of Death unleashed his power. A black energy formed at the tip of Nito's finger, a small cloud of darkness and decease. Suddenly it zipped towards the armored formation at high speeds, a high pitched scream emitted from Nito as he fired.

Skin began peeling off the Berenike knights faces as a dark energy surrounded all of them. The giants of men advance slowed as their skin was torn off their faces and muscles decaying. Many of them collapsed to the grounds, the bones now inhabiting their armor unable to hold its tremendous weight.

A few continued to advance only to fall to their knees using their weapons as crutches. Soon only a lone soldier was left resisting Nito's power. His skin had sunken in and small patches skin peeled off of him. His weapon and shield lay in the wet grass beside him. The man glared defiantly at the god.

"...What have we done to deserve this? We worshipped you, followed your wishes, and built temple in your names! You have betrayed our trust! The gods have betrayed us! You will all pay for this!" The soldier shouted, his voice was rasp and barely audible.

Nito could hear him perfectly though.

The Lord of Death stopped the pressure and picked the soldier up. The massive bone hand clutched the soldier from Berenike tightly. A small crack formed in the steel chest plate.

Using his power, The Lord of Death looked at the man's soul and saw it desperately clinging to the body. The Lord of Death pulled at it, black tendrils grasping the soul from all angles and pulling it gently toward Nito.

It resisted, clinging to the body tightly and not letting go. Nito pulled at it more, but it didn't detach itself.

'_Such defiance...this must be crushed_', he thought to himself slowly.

In rage, The Lord of Death pulled violently with a large amount of force.

The body exploded. Dark red blood raining on the ground below.

The skulls on Nito's body seemed to be grinning at the surrounding human army as they marched forward. The had him surrounded on all sides.

He would show them the power of a god. The power of _death_.

The Lord of Death raised both of his arms outward and channeled his vast amounts of his energy into the ground. His arms had a red aura to them as he prepared his next strike. This would kill all of them. Finally his entire body glowed a dark red. The Lord of Death raised his arms higher.

The earth shook and a deep rumbling was heard. The Berenike soldiers stopped their advance and took up a tighter defensive formation. That wouldn't save them though.

All around them burning red spikes emerged out of the soil underneath, violently impaling groups of the heavily armored soldiers. Formations fell apart and soldier were sent scrambling for any sort of protection against the crimson spikes.

The Lord of Death guided each spike to a target, ensuring not a single survivor was left.

All around him the once proud army was impaled high above the ground. The red spikes surrounded Nito for miles.

'_This will serve as a reminder to the humans_' Nito thought to himself as he observed the surrounding carnage.

Silently he turned his gaze to the direction of Ooliciale. Through his mind he commanded his army forward, to resume their march.

Nito lead them. Millions of corpse's silently followed him in the rainy night sky.

* * *

"Milord! The Stone Sentinels have been activated. The now serve us." A man in heavy plate mail armor declared.

"Good, set them into a defensive position around the woods." A man in heavy stone armor ordered.

"Yes milord!" the man in plate mail answered.

Bishop Havel watched the man depart into the rain. Beneath the heavy stone slabs serving as his nearly impenetrable armor, his body relaxed.

His scouts reported that the undead armies of Nito were moving toward Ooliacile. He didn't think The Lord of Death could mobilize his forces that fast. He would just have to hold out in the city until his forces were completely ready and when they could control the thing far below.

He would just bide his time until then. The Goddess of Sin gave him instructions hold the city, so he would. No matter the cost.

_-__**TOKYO EXPRESS**__ with help from my friends who in mockery of my pen name has decided go give herself and himself the pen name of __**CHINA BITCH and BEIJING TRAFFIC**__ (I'm a bitch!)_


	7. Chapter 7

Fade.7

* * *

Knight Artorias walked through the dimly lit hallways of the Ivory Citadel. His armor clanked with every step, while his azure hood cast a dark shadow over his face, hiding it from sight completely. The hallways were completely empty save for the few elite guards assigned to protect the citadel from within. Each silver armored guard saluted to him respectfully as he passed. He saluted back lazily to each one of them.

Only an hour ago he dropped off Lord's Blade Ciaran to her bed chamber. He spent an hour sitting next to her bedside. Several other Lords Blades passed by him a he watched her. He could have sworn he heard them giggling.

'_Women_...' He thought to himself, failing to understand his genders counterpart.

She was unconscious. After examining her head, he found no bruising. She wouldn't stay unconscious much longer so he left.

'_Perhaps I hit her too hard..._' Artorias thought to himself.

He knew she would wake up in a few hours. He knew her well. She didn't sleep as long as most being's would. The thought of sleep made him tired.

'_I only have a few hour until dawn, I should have enough time for a short nap.' _

Finally he reached his own bed chambers. The wooden doors brought comfort to him. He was finally home. Pressing his armored gauntlet on the door, he pushed and the door opened. The room was large, barren, and dark. A small bed lay at the center of the room. On the wall was an chest containing all his tools and gear. In the far corner reside a large wooden table and a few chairs. Next to the table was a window overlooking the golden city.

He was greeted by a small grey wolf colliding into him, tackling him to the ground. It was his most loyal companion, the great wolf Sif. The canine greeted him by smothering his face with licks and slobbering over his face. The wolf was happy.

"Haha I see you have missed me Sif!" Artorias declared happily.

Sir barked, a smile seemed to form on the wolf's face. Tail wagging excitedly.

He pat the wolf on the head and then got up. He walked to his bed and fell into it. Despite it's small size and minimal bedsheets, he found himself falling asleep.

Sif jumped onto the bed, placing his head upon his chest. Artorias placed his hand on the animal's head and fell asleep.

Sif fell asleep shortly after. His friend had returned.

* * *

Dragonslayer Ornstein stood alone in a hallway inside the Ivory Citadel and watched the sun slowly make it's way just above the horizon. His golden armor illuminated slightly in the rising sun. The red amulets he wore around his neck glowed bright red. The clear window in front of him slightly reflected his own image.

His armor was ornate and inspired by a lion. His helmet formed the face of a fearsome lion, the king of beasts many called it. It suited him perfectly.

His famous Dragonslayer spear was held in his hand, the golden hilt touching the floor. It was longer than him and was shaped like an elongated cross. The tip was sharp and lightning currents traveled through it. Ornstein had slain many dragons with this weapon, his weapon of choice.

Ornstein had command over all guard forces in Anor Londo and he could direct the activities of the Four Knights of Gywn. His word was law and his will was almost absolute. Only Lord Gywn and his bloodline or the combined might of Anor Londo's nobility could outweigh his decision.

He was on top after Lord Gywn and his family. It made him proud. Unlike the other knights he possessed the power of lightning, the closest thing there was to Lord Gywn's own power of the sun.

Putting his helmet back up on his head and picking up his golden spear, he departed. At this time in the morning he usually sparred with Artorias or in some cases Silver Knight legions and even Lord Gywn.

Today he would spar with Artorias. This would be fun. Artorias was his longstanding rival and friend. Despite Artorias reputation as 'The Butcher of New Londo', something that lowered Artorias respect and loyalty of his legions and many in Lordran, Ornstein still respected him. He knew it was necessary. Inside, The Dragonslayer respected the fact that Artorias was able to resign himself to a position that would earn him such hatred. An act that would weigh heavily on his conscious.

Ornstein knew that he wouldn't be able to do such a thing and return sane. The guilt would eat him alive.

Shaking his head, Ornstein entered an elevator, the runes glowed as it moved downward. Then it stopped as it reached a new level. Silently Ornstein walks out, his destination was Artorias bed chambers.

* * *

Artorias woke up to a loud banging on his door. Sif was up and waiting by the door. Tail waging in excitement.

"Artorias! Wake yourself from your slumber! It is time for the morning exercises!" Artorias heard the voice of Ornstein calling outside.

'_Damn it all. Still tired.'_ He thought to himself dejectedly.

Shaking his head, Artorias picked his sword and shield, then opened the door.

"Aye let us do this Ornstein."

Both of them departed. Two polar opposites. One knight in golden armor of a lion, with a red plume. The other a dark knight affiliated with wolves with a black plume.

"I'm surprised you're not up already Artorias. You are usually the first one awake." Ornstein said while walking.

"Indeed. After that incident at the gate, I began working on a new way to counter those things." Artorias lied.

Ornstein looked at Artorias.

"Did you find success?" Ornstein asked.

"Unfortunately I did not. I plan on inspecting their bodies later today. Hopefully I will be able to find more details on their nature through that. I just hope the guards found intact ones." Artorias said.

Both knights walked through the main gates of the Ivory Citadel.

* * *

Lord Gywn walked the streets of Anor Londo alone. Small puddles from the previous day's rain covered the streets and reflected his huge form. He had one destination in mind.

At this early hour he found that his two knight's Artorias and Ornstein tended to spar. He could use a short distraction before ordering his legions to war.

At this hour barely anyone was awake, thus the streets were completely empty save for the guardsmen on duty. Several patrols of Silver Knights and Sentinels bowed to him as he walked past.

In front of him stood a colossal arena. It was ivory like all the other buildings in Anor Londo, except this particular building was huge. It easily stood as one of the tallest in the city. Silver Knight legions and various gladiators from the past were engraved in the walls supporting the structure, forever remembered by their participation in the arena. It was designed by the legendary architect, Sen. Some called it Sen's Arena.

The arena was one of the main forms of entertainment in the city and it was used for gladiator combat each night. Each night it would hold at least a few thousand people.

It was so popular that he had to post a standing garrison of Silver Knights and a few Sentinels to stand guard and maintain order during events.

Without a word he entered the arena where the two knights usually spared at and walked directly to the stands.

The Lord of Sunlight watched the two knights in front of him. A small smile found it's way onto his face. The two knights in question were unaware of his presence.

They both stood in a private arena in Anor Londo. The arena was large enough for an entire legion to spar comfortably in. The floors were covered in golden sand. The wind lightly blew, causing the sand to rise in the air and creating a golden haze.

Suddenly the figure were in motion. A dark blue blur flew across the arena.

Knight Artorias moved first, his blade glowing a faint blue as it missed the figure in front of him. Beneath his silver armor, he could feel small granulates of sand working its way past his chain mail he wore underneath.

Knight Ornstein dodged the silver blue blade that sailed past him. His helm depicting a golden lion was nearly sliced off. He landed a few meter away from where he dodged. Clutching his golden spear in his right hand, he aimed it at Artorias and fired three bolts of lightning.

The three bolts caused the Abysswalker to sidestep. While Artorias was distracted by the lightning, the Dragonslayer gripped his enormous spear with both hand. He could feel the energy flow though his body. Sparks of lightning emitted off his spear and off him. Ornstein was fully charged and without a moments hesitation he flew at high speeds at Artorias. Nothing could match his speed.

Knight Artorias looked up to see a golden yellow blur speeding towards him. A trail of heavy dust trailed behind Ornstein as he flew at the Abysswalker. Seeing no chance to dodge, Artorias raised his shield and braced for the impact.

The sheer force of the impact caused Artorias to fly though the air, hitting the ground with a loud thud. His shield was strong, thus was able to get away with nothing but a large dent. It was still made out of metal though.

Golden arcs of electricity travelled through the Abysswalkers body. His grip on his sword failed, sending it tumbling to the arena floor. It stabbed into the ground at a diagonal angle. A faint blue glow was still visible.

From a distance, Dragonslayer Ornstein removed his helmet while approaching the knight on the ground. A wide smile was plastered across his face.

"Another victory for me Artorias, you almost landed a hit in me." Or stein smugly stated while bending over to look at Artorias. A bad move.

Without any warning, Artorias's fist smashed into Ornsteins faces. Blood stained the yellow sand while Ornstein bent clutching his nose. Taking advantage of his opponents weakness, the Abysswalker charged the Dragonslayer while drawing his sword from the ground.

"You seem to be letting your guard down Dragonslayer!" Artorias shouted as he charged. His sword descending downward.

The swords descent was stopped as it met the Dragonslayer Spear. Ornstein managed to pull it in front of him in time. Artorias's was second in physical strength of Gywn's four knights. Ornstein struggled to resist as the blade came in closer.

Both knights stood glaring each others. They were about to continue there duel, but the sound of clapping hands stopped them. Both knights turned their heads to see Lord Gywn descending the stands in the arena.

Forgetting their past aggression, both knight stood upright and bowed.

"Milord!"

"Milord!"

Both of them showed great respect to their lord.

Finally reaching the arena floor, The Lord of Sunlight stood in front of both knights. His large figure casting a dark shadow over both of them. His black robes billowing in the wind, while his five pronged crown cast a an legates shadow in the sand. The crags in his face bent in amusement.

"Well fought. Both of you." The Lord of Sunlight stated. His features expressionless.

Both of them nodded in thanks.

"Thank you sir." Both of them stated.

"However I would like to see what both of you could accomplish if you fought together." Gywn said, his voice not betraying his intentions. His hand nearing his sword.

"Milor-" they began.

"Enough talk! It is time to see what my commanders are capable of." The Lord of Sunlight declared, cutting them off.

With ones swift motion, Gywn drew his sword in one hand and in the other summoned a bolt of lightning in the other. His sword was massive and heavy. It would smash anything that came in it's path.

The bolt of lightning he summoned crackled with golden energy. It let out a small whining noise.

Artorias and Ornstein both stepped back several meters. Both held their weapons tightly. Both of them feeling excitement and dread for the coming combat. They knew not to hold back when fighting their lord. He didn't hold his power back.

Raising his left arm high above his head, Lord Gywn lifted the bolt and threw it. Not at either of his knights, but the space between them. He planned on fighting them up close.

The impact of the bolt caused dust and sand to fly into the air, blinding both knights.

With a small smirk, The Lord of Sunlight charged them both while summoning another bolt of lightning to his hand. His black robes billowed in the wind as he charged.

Without warning he landed in the small area between both knights. Ornstein raised his spear to stab and Artorias brought his blade for an upward slash.

Gywn sensed both strikes moving toward him and raised his own arms in defense. Ornsteins spear clashed against Gywn's golden lightning spear, while Artorias own sword was halted by The Lord of Sunlight's own heavy sword.

Both knights' looked shock. With a small smirk Lord Gywn pushed outward, sending both of them flying. Lord Gywn watched them get off the sandy arena floor. Sand poured from their armor.

The Abysswalker and Dragonslayer turned to Lord Gywn, weapon in attack position. Not a word was exchanged between them.

Suddenly Ornstein charged, his form a yellow blur. The Lord of Sunlight could see him perfectly as he charged though. Sidestepping the incoming spear, Gywn hit the Dragonslayer with his sword's hilt, knocking him to the ground.

While Ornstein was on the floor with a dent in his helm. Artorias charged, his shield raised in front of him. Gywn turned to him.

'_That shield is your main protection Artorias.'_ He thought as he raised his arm in the air. A fresh bolt of golden lightning crackled in it.

Artorias increased his pace. Suddenly he did the unexpected. Artorias jumped high into the air readying himself for a plunging attack.

Lord Gywn raised his bolt and threw it. The mass of heavy energy sailed through the air, leaving a small golden trail behind it.

The bolt caught Artorias mid air. He convulsed as the golden energy traveled through his metal armor and fried him from the inside. His hands lost their grip on his sword and shield, both fell into the dirt below. Silently Artorias hit the sand in massive pain. Sparks flew in every direction.

Gywn walked up to the fallen knight and kicked him in the side. He heard a small groan.

'_Still alive. I might have put to much power into that one.'_ The Lord of Sunlight mused to himself silently.

He then heard something fly through the air behind him. Gywn turned suddenly, sword ready to block whatever was come. His sword met Ornstein's Dragonslayer Spear, golden sparks of lightning sparked as both weapons met.

Gywn stared into Ornstein's lion helm. The face of the lion glaring at him. With his free arm, Gywn grabbed onto the spear and pulled it. Ornstein resisted, but his strength could not match The Lord of Sunlight's. The spear was yanked and was thrown to the floor behind Gywn.

The Dragonslayer was unarmed. Raising his fist, Ornstein threw a few quick jabs at The Lord of Sunlight. Each was blocked.

Lord Gywn suddenly launched his fist at Ornstein helm, grabbing the lion by his snout, causing the metal to bend inward. Gywn pulled violently and Ornstein crashed to the floor.

Without warning Lord Gywn channeled his own immense power into Ornstein head. Golden energy formed at the palms of his hand, then exploded.

The Lion helm was caved in. The Dragonslayer unconscious. Lord Gywn stared down at both of his knight's in triumph. Both of them lay in the sand, several dents present on their armor.

'_They'll wake soon enough_.' He thought to himself.

From the edge of the stand, Gywn saw the great wolf Sif watching. The beast's yellow eyes staring at Gywn.

Sheathing his sword, Lord Gywn began to walk away, his head turned to face and he said, "Wake them in a few minutes, then lead them to the throne room."

Sif nodded his head in understand. Lord Gywn silent walked out of the arena feeling refreshed. He then began making his way back to the Ivory Citadel. The sun was slowly rising.

* * *

Lord's Blade Ciaran woke in her bed chambers. Her armor was still on and she felt a throbbing pain in the back of her head.

_'I was in New Londo... Now I'm here... What happened?'_ She thought to herself as she pulled herself off her bed.

Her room was located on the lowest level of the Ivory Citadel, below the ground floor. The bottom floor was where most of Gywn's assassin's and other things he wished to keep secret resided. Many of the Lord's Blades made their homes in the darkness of the lowest level.

Unlike all the other levels, the lowest level was made from ebony black stone. That made it harder to maneuver and easier to get lost in if you were unfamiliar with the layout. Chandeliers illuminating a dark blue light as they hung from the ceiling. They gave the narrow corridors a haunted appearance. The lowest levels were often called the Ebony Citadel in contrast with the bright and shining Ivory Citadel high above.

This was the only level that Silver Knights and Sentinel Guards did not patrol. Instead The Lord's Blades would patrol, hiding on the shadows and stalking anyone who intruded before killing them.

Silently she walked to her door and left her room, taking her Tracers with her.

'_Did Artorias return me here? That Darkwraith certainly didn't' _she thought and shuddered at being caught by that last traitor.

That was her utterly foolish of her to charge the last one like that, thinking it was unarmed. Darkwraiths never went unarmed, the Abyss made sure of that.

Turning a corner she finally reached her destination. A giant steel door greeted her, it was easily two meters taller than her. She placed her armored hand upon it and pushed. It creaked as it opened.

The room was huge, easily able to fit a few thousand people. The room was circular. It was divided into various levels that were connected by elevators. On the bottom level there were elevators leading downward into a giant black pool of water. In the water their were small boats docked and being set off into various tunnels leading to many different parts of Lordran. Many people ran around on each level, each with a different task to keep the underground port running.

This was one of the many ways Lord Gywn's assassins, the Lords Blades would traverse Lordran quickly. Each water tunnel was blocked by a thick metal gate manned by a giant clad in sloped black armor. Their helmets were formed T-shaped that covered the head completely, not even the eyes were visible. Each giant wielded a black trident with sparks of blue electricity coming off the tips. They sat on a large platform by the gate and would only leave if they needed to lift it up.

Outside the gates Black Hydra's, Black Giant Squids, and other various sea creatures swam looking for any unauthorized intruders. They left anyone who was authorized alone, these creatures served Gywn.

As Ciaran stepped past the huge metal doors, the guardsmen behind closed them. They looked almost like Silver Knights, except their armor was dark grey with an dark blue cape draped over their shoulders. They had two curved swords on their waists and were trained differently from a Silver Knight and more in the line of a Lords Blade. They were completely silent and only nodded to her as she looked at them. Their was only three legions of the special guardsmen in service. One was tasked with guarding the underground port, another was stationed outside of Lordran by the human kingdoms of Berenike and Balder, while the third was split into various groups to guard the other side of the water tunnels. Their armor was also far lighter than a Silver Knights and allowed them to swim.

To her left she saw a group women sitting, while looking over their weapons. They were a squad of her Lord's Blades. Ciaran walked over to them. They sat around a wooden table with various weapons and armor scattered on it.

They saw her approach and they all stood in perfect synchronization and bowed. She bowed back.

"Milady." The one in lead greeted her.

She wore the standard Lord Blades grabs without any modification. A hood was draped over her head, while a she had cloth mask covering her face. On her legs, there were various daggers strapped on.

Behind her stood four other Lords Blades. One was armed with a bow and arrow, another a short curved sword, another was a mage and carried a catalyst, while another did not wear a robe but only the black armor of a Lord Blade and a matching black helm. She dual wielded curved swords.

"Blades, are you currently on an assignment?" Ciaran asked.

"No milady. We are currently checking our gear for any signs of wear." The lead one answered again.

"Perfect, I have an assignment for all of you. Now listen carefully."

* * *

Lord Gywn sat on his throne watching his generals create battle plans with remnants of the Izalith Army and Navy. They all sat around a large map place around the table. Figures of Silver Knights and Izalith troopers represented various armies on the field. Lord Gywn silently watched and observed their plans.

"I suggest moving a few legions around the entrance of Izalith to reinforce the Izalith Guard Units there. Once the few bastions of Izalith are properly secured we can begin deploying more legions to move on the offensive." A Silver Knight General declared.

"Indeed I was hoping you would be able to. Our cities are barely holding as it is." An admiral from Izalith replied.

"What is the condition of your fleets?"

"They are in poor shape. We possess only a few hundred ships. Our entire military has been nearly destroyed . As far as I know all the daughters of the Witch died in the during the experiment. Without their power we are severely lacking in power."

"I suggest you evacuate your cities of civilians. It would be best if they do not get caught in the coming battles."

Lord Gywn then decided to speak up.

"Indeed. Izalith and its surrounding regions will become a giant war zone in the coming week. I will order the construction of settlements around Anor Londo to be built, that way the mountainside may be used for defense by them also. The full military might of our kingdom will retake Izalith." The Lord of Sunlight declared.

At the table, Dragonslayer Ornstein rose. He and Artorias had recovered from their previous engagement and where present in the room also.

"Milord, with your permission I would like to take charge of the legions being deployed to Oolicile." Ornstein declared.

Gywn looked at him, "You may. You will be the commander of all our forces there. Artorias you will travel to Oolicile to crush that outbreak in the next few days. Gough left earlier this morning with a scouting party to check how far the taint has spread."

Artorias nodded slowly, "Milord, I have heard reports of the Everlasting Dragon Kalameet being sighted around there."

Everyone at the table froze. Kalameet was one of the last of his kind. His power was nearly unmatched save for the Great Lords and a few of the other gods. Anor Londo would not dare send its legions against him and not even Nito would dare challenge him alone.

Kalameet of the Black Flames was a name some called him. Years ago Gywn sent legions upon legions to take the dragon on and each time he was met with failure. Despite his great power, Kalameet would not attack Anor Londo. The dragon knew that the city's defense was too strong for him. Thus a stalemate between Anor Londo and Kalameet was created. Kalameet would not attack Anor Londo and the Lord of Sunlight could not mobilize a force strong enough to take him down.

"If your sources are correct Artorias, then we may have a problem. However I do believe Hawkeye can handle himself if Kalameet attacks." Gywn declared while stroking his long grey beard in thought.

Suddenly a messenger burst through the giant doorway. He ran past the generals and kneeled in front of Gywn.

"Milord! I bear urgent news from our outposts nearby the borders." The messenger shouted while handing Gywn an envelope.

It was signed by Commander Servici of the 14th Legion of Anor Londo. He was commanding the force guarding the borders located near the Empire of Berenike.

The Lord of Sunlight read the letter.

_**'My Lord,**_

_**The undead armies of Nito have been sighted by my scouts. They report Nito himself was also sighted leading them. Currently we believe they are marching toward Oolicile.**_

_**What disturbs me is that during his march, Nito pillaged several human towns belonging to The Empire of Berenike and annihilated one of their armies. I doubt the human emperor will stand for this and I am sure he will be mobilizing more troops near our border to assault Nito.**_

_**I do not doubt my own men's ability to combat the humans if they come to us, however I respectfully request that we are given a minimum of ten other legions to reinforce the border. That should be enough to intimidate the humans into not trespassing on our territory for their war.**_

_**Commander Aulus Servici**_

_**The Holy 14th Legion of Anor Londo**_

Gywn looked up to see everyone in the room looking at him. He messenger was still kneeling on the floor.

"Leave us" Gywn said, referring to the messenger.

The messenger nodded and them outside the doorway. The Lord of Sunlight began stroking his beard in thought.

"Milord, what troubles you?" Gywn heard Ornstein ask.

Gywn looked at the knight in golden lions armor.

"According to Commander Servici, the undead armies of Nito have risen last night to march to Oolicile and they have destroyed a few human settlements belonging to the Empire of Berenike." Lord Gywn spoke.

Murmurs travelled across the room and heads turned to each other in shock.

"Nito is mobilizing this fast!?" Ornstein shouted.

"I am afraid so. His armies march toward Oolicile now. Commander Servici also requests reinforcements at the human border. He believes that once a word travels back to the human empire, they will mobilize nearby to travel to Nito. The force I plan on sending is just an intimidation force so they do not trespass on our own lands."

"But milord, the humans worship us! They would not dare launch an offensive on us, they should know they will never win. They couldn't possibly take on Nito!" A Silver Knight General shouted while rising from his seat.

Gywn looked at him and explained, "They worship us indeed. However the attack by Nito will shake their faith. Remember, religion only works if both parties are beneficial to each other. They will attack once they here of this. The people of Berenike have grown strong and will be eager to flex their military might. They know backing down will be a sign of weakness to them."

The Silver Knight General slowly sat back in his chair and dipped his head in thought.

The Lord of Sunlight looked down at Artorias who sat at the corner of the table looking over the map silently.

"Is there anything you would like to add Artorias?" Lord Gywn asked.

Everyone looked at Artorias. The Abysswaler remained silent for a moment before turning his attention to his lord. His azure hood hiding any sort of features his face made. It was like looking at an empty void.

"Oolicile will be in complete chaos. When Nito arrives, his undead army will come into conflict with the stone guardians that the people of Oolicile use for security, along with those Abyss tainted abominations. Kalameet is said to have been sighted in that area and there is a good chance that the armies of Berenike could arrive there also. Oolicile will be a major war zone." Artorias said.

"Our forces have not seen actual combat in a long time. It will take time to ready all the legions." Ornstein chipped in.

A general from Izalith stood up, his armor was black and almost stone like. His shoulder pauldrons were decorated with various characters in the language of Izalith.

"I must ask Lord Gywn, what is the plan? How do you plan on mobilizing your vast army? Our own armies are barely holding the line against them." He said.

The Lord of Sunlight stood up from his throne and walked up to the table, his eyes on the map. He studied all the troop placements and the areas he needed those troops to. He would have to divide his legions.

"I will be sending a more dedicated force to Izalith, twenty legions will march to reinforce your cities next week, followed by a steady income of more legions each passing week. Ten will go the human border. Artorias will take his own legions to Oolicile. The rest of the legions will take time to mobilize." The Lord of Sunlight said.

Before anyone could ask what legions would be sent, Gywn announced it.

"The fifty sixth legion through the seventy sixth legion will march to Izalith first. The twenty first legion follow by the three hundredth, two ninty seventh, ninetieth, ninety first, ninety second, ninety third, ninety ninth, one hundredth, and two hundredth." Lord Gywn announced, turning to each legions commander.

They all nodded in confirmation.

"All of you are to ready yourself for the coming war. Prep your respective troops for coming battle, they should be combat ready soon." Gywn ordered.

The Lord of Sunlight surveyed the room, his gaze sweeping over all the high ranking officers.

"All of you are dismissed." Lord Gywn stated.

Everyone rose from their seat and bowed. They slowly shuffled out of the room many in discussing strategies and different methods to wage their own respective battles.

As soon as the giant doors closed signaling that everyone left the room. The Lord of Sunlight walked behind his throne where a secret elevator lead up to his own bed chambers. He walked in it.

He had a wide few of the entire city from his bed chambers. He was able to see each side of the great wall surrounding it. Walking to the edge of his room, he stepped outside onto his balcony.

He turned his gazed upward to the mountain overlooking Anor Londo, the Great Archives in which the scaleless albino blind dragon Seath resided.

Turning his sight to one of the balconies on the facility, Gywn homes in on his target. A silver metal plate was hanging between two wires coming from inside the building.

That was his target. Taking a deep breath, The Lord of Sunlight readied a bolt of golden lightning in his hand. It lacked the power of the ones he used hot combat, but it would serve its purpose well.

Raising his arm high above his head, he threw the bolt directly at the metal plate.

It soared high above Anor Londo at high speeds, leaving a small golden trail behind it. It hit its mark sending electric currents traveling from the metal plates into the wires extending inside the building.

Now all Gywn had to do was wait. Folding his hands begin his back, The Lord of Sunlight watched then sun slowly rise.

* * *

In the cold fortress of the Duke's Archive's two beings stood over a corpse. They were both in a large laboratory with torches lighting up the room.

A being in dark robes lined with yellow linen stood in front of his master, assisting him in his experiment. His six eyed helmet carefully watching the corpse on the table in front of him. His trident was held passively in his right hand as he waited for orders.

"Tell me Channeler, how many corpses have we received to study?" The white dragon spoke, his head dipping toward him.

"We possess...over one hundred at the moment master... A majority were shipped to the Abysswalker due to his expertise in these subjects...", The Channeler spoke slowly, his gaze never leaving the corpse.

The body was mutated beyond repair, arms elongated to the point where the subject had to raise them to move.

The white dragon snarled in rage, angry that a knight was given priority over a him.

"I want another hundred bodies shipped to us. Steal them if necessary." Seath the Scaleless ordered, his voice cold and deep.

The Channeler rasped, "Yes... Master. What of the other...bodies...?"

"I want ten of them added for our own personal use. Add this one to the pile." The albino dragon spoke, gesturing to the corpse in front of him.

"Yes...master..." The Channeler rasped, his voice low.

Silently he walked up to the body and place his hand over in. His head dipped down as he muttered a few word, then suddenly a crystal shell began forming over the corpse. It sealed the body completely,

Within seconds after being completely covered, it faded. The body disappeared completely.

Suddenly a loud ringing filled the chamber. The dragon and his serpent turned to the sound.

"Channeler, it seems The Lord of Sunlight wishes to speak. Go at once." Seath ordered.

"Yes...master." The Channeler replied.

Gripping his black trident with both hands, he muttered a few incantations and slowly he began to fade away.

* * *

The Lord of Sunlight watched the Channeler materialize next to him. The six eyed being looking directly at him.

"You...requested for my master...?" The thing croaked out. Gywn could hear something grinding inside it's helm as it spoke.

In secret he would love to throw the Channelers off the highest mountain in Lordran. He was disgusted by their presence, they always gave off an aura of wrongness to him. Like they did not belong.

"I have. I require you to read this to him." Gywn stated while handing the Channeler a folded letter he wrote moments earlier.

The Channeler took it slowly. His attention never leaving Gywn's face as he grabbed the envelope.

"Is...that all you...request...?" The Channeler rasped, this time sounding like it was having difficultly speaking.

"That is all. Now go! Return it to your master." The Lord of Sunlight commanded.

The Channeler slowly nodded, then stood up straight both hands gripping its three pronged black trident. A blue energy slow began enveloping the Channeler as it began to teleport away.

The Lord of Sunlight state at the spot it stood only moments ago. In all his years, he never truly saw what was under their helm. They were created to assist the blind dragon in his research and experiments. They also served as a small security force for the Archives.

Taking his eyes away from the city, Gywn walke snack to the elevated leading down. He had to observe his troops.

* * *

The Goddess of Sin, Velka observed the three corpses in front of her. A father, a mother, and a child. They all lay in steel tables naked.

'_Each one of them is dead. Even the father is technically dead. I will have to work carefully on this subject_. She thought to herself.

She turned to a nearby servant in black clothing.

"Prepare the masks. It's best they don't see themselves when they wake. I'll also imbue them with power." She ordered.

The servant nodded in turn.

"It will be done milady. Is there anything else you wish of me." The man asked.

Velka paused for a moment. Then it hit her.

"No. Leave me for a few moments." She commanded.

The servant in black nodded and then left the room.

The Goddess of Sin walked away from the table. Through her mind she dimmed the lights and sat down.

She closed her eyes and reached out, searching the world for one of her servant. She saw the world pass her through her mindscape, the undead armies of Nito, burning villages, the quiet forest around Oolicile, the finally the tainted city of Oolicile.

She focused in on the man in heavy stone armor. His shield and club lay on the ground beside him. Finally she touched his mind.

'_**Havel**__. I have a new set of directives for yo_u.'

She waited for his response.

Finally his gruff, low voice answered.

'_Yes milady. I pray not ask how you are contacting me, but what is your command?'_

'_My power far is more vast than you realize Havel. As you know the undead armies of Nito are currently marching toward your location. You are to hold you ground by any means necessary.' She spoke._

'_Yes, Goddess of Sin. However my army will fight, the militia I have gathered do not possess the spirit to fight long engagements. I will do my best to motivate them._' He responded.

'_Any means necessary Havel. Hold as long as you can. In the coming week I will have a new agent take care of Nito._' She stated.

There was a pause.

'_As you wish milady_.' He rumbled back.

The Goddess of Sin cut the link. Smiling to herself, she got up and walked back to the three corpses.

She had work to do.

* * *

Fade.7

-**_Tokyo Express, BEIJING TRAFFIC, and China Bitch._**

**_Special thanks to EarthScraper_**

**What do you think? I'm currently attempting make my chapters longer. It also takes longer for me to put them out.**


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